


An Exercise in Self-Improvement

by LightBloom



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Soo-Won, Bisexual Hak cough cough, Dating is hard, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Minor Smut, Everyone is romantically dumb, F/M, Multi, mild in-world politics, older and experienced yona hell yea, personal trainer hak uwu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:35:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightBloom/pseuds/LightBloom
Summary: Between his multiple jobs, Hak's favorite has always been working at the gym. It was simple and offered him the flexible hours he needed. His schedule was simple: work, support his adoptive family, go home, repeat. No worrying about the family-owned community center, no worrying about the problems that affect his family and friends; just a simple job at an easy-going gym. He didn't expect it would only take one person to interrupt that schedule.Yona is fighting to become the person she dreams of being; strong, passionate, and helpful. She's eager to prove she worth more than what's expected of her. She dreams of proving herself worthy of her redeeming her father's legacy. She wants to help make her nation a better place, and figures what's a better way of building your own self-esteem than starting a gym membership? She never imagined just how much it would change her.Age Swap: Younger Hak! Older Yona!
Relationships: Jae-Ha/Kija (Akatsuki no Yona), Jae-Ha/Son Hak, Son Hak/Yona, Soo-Won/Yona (Akatsuki no Yona)
Comments: 46
Kudos: 117





	1. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hak really does enjoy working at the gym, even if he's not too happy about meeting his newest client.

This was his favorite job, even if his expression never revealed it.

Despite the irritating digital logging he had to do before every client--which was made even more infuriating whenever the previous trainer left the station logged into their own account--Hak genuinely enjoyed his job. The hours were flexible, he could arrange other part-time jobs in between, and it paid relatively well. If he eventually had to pick between one of his many employments, this one would hand down remain steady in his schedule. He worked with people who wanted to continue training and improving, versus those who simply wanted someone to watch them train or the vain ones who took every opportunity to flaunt their body, regardless of whether anyone was actually watching. Those clients he passed off to Jae-Ha, who was eager to put them in their place to scare them off entirely. Gi-Gan complained that they would scare off all their good clients for good, to which Jae-Ha would insist those were typically the type of people who weren't likely to stick around past the preliminary week-long trial membership. It wasn't a large gym and locally owned meant they often saw more regulars than newcomers but Hak appreciated the small family he'd picked up here over the years.

All this to say he did _not_ appreciate new clients that promised to be anything but simple.

That was the impression he got when Jae-Ha leaned over his computer podium and pointed out the newest arrival, seemingly placing more weight on the fabric sashes that divided this portion of the room into a training mat.

"Did you see the new girls yet? I'm going to introduce myself if you're up for joining."

"No." 

"You're no fun. Can't you at least be a good wingman?"

"No." The reply was curt and succinct, clearly meant to put off an otherwise impossibly appeasable man. Jae-Ha remained unrefuted. 

"At least look at them, one of them is probably going to be yours."

Briefly, he raised his head to glance over the computer monitor before him. While difficult to see behind Gi-Gan's back and due to their short statures, he could easily spot three heads with varying lengths of hair; harvest blonde, raven black, and sunset red. "What's your point?"

"You should really try to be friendlier to new faces here. They do pay for your paycheck if you remember."

"Clients pay for new equipment, regular gym members contribute to my paycheck."

"That's…true, but regardless, Gi-Gan said that one of them is Kouren's younger sister and she recommended this place."

Hak grimaced. Kouren only had a general membership but it was no secret that the local triathlon winner trained at this very gym. She also happened to be a massively popular city politician, so anyone she invited here must also have the same political and monetary value as her. Her presence alone had driven membership and activity up in the last month, the populace eager to meet their rising local star. "Is her younger sister the one joining then?"

"No, it's the redhead and brunette. Kouren told me her sister is more about advocacy and politics than anything physical. I've heard her on the street corner actually--at that coffee shop you go to in the morning."

Ah, that small girl who passionately handed out flyers and organized marches throughout downtown. "She's like the opposite of her sister," he noted, eyes feeling back to his schedule. He would need to mark out time to take Tae-Yun to his before school program next week. 

"Definitely. Kouren's more about reactionary change. Tao is really grassroots. The other two are apparently good friends of hers, they just moved into town."

"Riding in their parent’s coattails," Hak started dryly.

"If only we all had coattails to ride in on," Jae-Ha sang playfully. He pulled away from the podium, twisting his arms left to right like a car wrench, sighing with each satisfying back pop. "You can't blame the rich for leaning onto the wealth they have when they need it.'

"They could learn to spare some for the rest of us."

"How liberal of you."

"You mean how poor," he replied shortly. "I'm the one here who works more than two jobs to pay rent."

"You could always accept help from your old man like he wants."

"Those retirement savings are going to Tae-Yun as soon as he graduates high school."

"Your brother is in elementary school Hak."

"Doesn't matter. My money plays for the house and our needs, Gramps can keep funneling his check into that college fund."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're insufferable?"

Hak ignored him, growingly aware that the girls were now being abandoned by Tao and making their way down to the training mat. He busied himself his schedule--the sooner he inputs the changes, the smaller the chance of having to bribe someone to take his shifts next week. Maybe, if his attention had been focused on Jae-Ha instead of the screen, he would have heard his coworker gleefully note that Hak was the most available trainer in the whole gym, had time to hide his open and visible schedule. The redhead peered over cautiously, her friend scowling defensively behind her, Jae-Ha's malicious grin obstructed as he turned to avoid the glare he would have received. 

"What is it?" He asked curtly, eyes narrowed, and unwelcoming.

The raven-haired girl nodded solemnly before turning to her friend. "He's built like a truck. He'll do. I'll take skinny legs here."

Hak fought the urge to smirk. Anyone who could casually insult Jae-Ha was alright in his book. The redhead shuffled uncomfortably, head bowed and eyes low. She mumbled something incoherent at her friend who straightened in response. "It'll be fine. Kouren and Tao both recommended this place highly. Look, he's available in the mornings. It's exactly what you wanted."

The withdrawn girl didn't seem convinced. Sighing, her friend rolled her eyes. "This is Yona, she would love it if you could fit her in your morning schedule."

Hak examined Yona carefully, taking in her disheartened expression. This was not the face of someone who had openly chosen to join the gym, but rather one of a friend who was being dragged along for emotional support. Before he had the chance to voice his disapproval though Jae-Ha danced around him and snatched away the keyboard, aptly entering Yona’s name and information into an early morning slot. The computer sang a quick jingle, alerting everyone that the deed was done. 

“He’ll see you at six in the morning next week,” he said with a sweet smile, politely shaking hands with the girls as Gi-Gan and Tao called them over to the equipment to continue the tour. Turning to face the wrath that awaited him, he held his hands up, palms out, in deference. “She wanted an early morning appointment, so I gave her the earliest one. If she doesn’t come then that’s her problem. I know you’re going to say she wasn’t going to come in the first place. Just give her a chance. They can’t be that bad if Kouren invited them here.”

Kouren’s younger sister had invited them, Hak thought bitterly, choosing to bite down on his complaint instead. Certainly, Jae-ha was right. Clients like those didn’t want to go to the gym anyway, regardless of how much they preached about the benefits of exercising in the early morning. She probably wouldn’t show anyways.

* * *

Yona was a morning person, he noted dully, watching as she approached the training station the next week. Dressed and ready with a small bag slung over her shoulder, she waved feebly as her friend walked towards the machines instead. Face low as she came closer, she averted her gaze. “I’m not sure if I was supposed to bring anything,” she began awkwardly, fidgeting with the nylon strap across her chest. “I just wore whatever I had.”

He gave her a cursory look, already acquainted with her attire from her slow stroll over to the mats. “You’ll be fine. You might want to put your hair up though. It’ll stick to your face if you don’t.”

She nodded, hastily reaching behind her to wrap her hair into the large scrunchie rolled onto her wrist while Hak busied himself grabbing a clipboard at his desk. Pen in hand, he rose from the chair, scrawling her name at the top of the form before pulling out a stopwatch in his pocket. Deeming her ponytail and outfit to be workout ready, he nodded. “Alright, logistics. You signed up for an hour. It’s only the first day so we’ll probably go for half an hour, then we’ll talk about your goals. I need to see what you’re capable of before then, so today is a fitness test. I would hate to tell Gi-Gan I killed a client on her first day, especially given how scrawny you are. I’m guessing you’ve never been to the gym?”

Yona flushed, from anger or embarrassment he wasn’t sure, but didn’t care to know. “Sort of,” she replied, sheepishness evident. Embarrassment it was. “I used to run track in high school but I haven’t really kept up with that since then.”

He paused from his note-taking, looking up to take a longer glance. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“You’re...older than you look,” he said hesitantly, before shrugging. “I’ll keep that in mind when we plan your workouts. Just because you fell out of shape doesn’t mean you can’t get in shape again. I’d just prefer to keep my job while you do it.”

She nodded, taking his note-taking as an opportunity to stretch. Her loose top rippled as she bent forward, reaching from one toe to the next. “What’s after that? The fitness test, I mean.”

“We come up with an overall plan and talk about how often you want to be here. Then you can go or wait out your friend on one of the benches. Up to you. I’m just here to train you. You ready?”

She nodded, a faint smile gracing her features before following him towards the center of the training mat.

Half an hour later, he found it hard to keep his face straight when he thought back at her athletic claim earlier. Watching her puff loudly from the training mat, he sat on the weight bench patiently, clipboard balanced on one knee while the other held up the elbow he rested on. “Are you sure you were on the track team?”

“Shut up,” she wheezed, face bright red with exertion. “I told you, that was years ago. I haven’t trained in years.”

“Don’t you mean exercise? You could barely lift those five-pound weights.”

“Track is about leg strength and breathing exercises, not weights.”

“You also got winded with the jumping jacks.”

“Fluke,” she insisted, rolling lazily onto her side. “I’m not getting up anytime soon. Can we just do the planning from here?”

Hak shrugged, pulling her discarded gym bag from beside the weight bench to remove the water bottle from the outer pouch. Placing it in front of her face, he pulled the clipboard up for a more comfortable writing position. “Whatever suits you, Princess, I’m getting paid regardless of how long you stay on the floor.”

Her nose scrunched with distaste, weakly reaching up to grab the water bottle, hands fumbling as she brought it to her lips. Choking slightly from the uncomfortable drinking position, she coughed a few times, sitting up just enough to pass the water. “I don’t recall giving you permission to give me a nickname,” she grumbled. “You’re not very professional.”

“This is a local gym, not a corporate office. If you don’t like the way I coach, you’re free to find someone else who’s available. We’ve got lots of staff who are open to new clients.”

“But you aren’t one of them,” she finished for him, slowly rolling up to a seated position. “I take it bad nicknames are your way of scaring off new clients?”

“No, but if it works,” he replied calmly, taking quick note of her perceived exhaustion and workout time on the clipboard. “I guess we’ll just do princess workouts for princess’s muscles next time.”

“No need to be sexist just because I’m feeble.”

“Alright then, tell me what you want to work on then.”

“I just want to be stronger,” she coughed, still clearing the water from her airway. She leaned against her curled knees, adjusting her breathing. “I”m out of shape and I want to be stronger. That’s it. I’m not training for a marathon or anything. I just don’t want to rely on people for safety, that’s all.”

That piqued his interest. Suspicious, he pressed on. “You're not the first girl we’ve gotten at the gym looking for that. If you want self-defense classes, you’d be better suited to joining Jae-Ha or someone else. I’m really just here to help with body conditioning.”

“Self-defense isn’t what I want, I just…” she grasped the air around her legs as if trying to grab a hold of something that was just beyond her reach. “I want to feel strong. I don’t feel strong.”

Hak nodded, noting the word “strong” in all capital letters under the line for motivation. It didn’t really matter what her motivation was, so long as she stuck to their fitness plan. Then again, he did get paid regardless of whether she came or not. It was all the same to him. “Next question: what’s your average week like? I don’t want to give you a workout regime that’ll limit your regular schedule or have your usual schedule interfere with any progress we make here.”

Yona blinked. “Do you not know who I am?”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, opting for a shrug instead, knowing full well that Gi-Gan ‘s uncanny sixth sense would know he’d sassed his client. “No, but I’m assuming you have some important job or are related to someone high up if Kouren told you to come here. You’re obviously not part of her fan club, just associated with her somehow.”

“My father is on the board for the city’s finances; I’m interning at city hall.”

“So you’re just another politician with no time on their hands,” he relented, jotting down another note. “You’re on your feet all day, get basically no sleep, and almost never eat well. Am I wrong?”

The disapproval on her face said the words she didn’t bother speaking. “It’s not my ambition to be a politician,” she replied curtly. “I just meant that I usually end up having to wine and dine some people I’d rather not look weak in front of.”

“Whatever you want Princess, I’m just here to serve your whims,” he dismissed, finalizing his notes with the tap of his pen. “You good to come to work out three times a week, six in the morning still? We can always change the time or frequency if that’s too early or often.”

“It’s fine.” She grunted, hands on her knees for stability as she rose to her feet. “I don’t have time in the afternoon between work. I’m more of a morning person anyway. Oh—I should give you my number, in case work comes up.”

He waited patiently as she pulled her phone out of her duffel bag, aware of Gi-Gan’s watchful eye from the front of the gym. Ruby ponytail bouncing as she triumphantly rose out of the bag, she quickly typed in a contact page for him holding her phone out expectantly. “Trust me,” she reassured, taking in his conflicted expression. “Things come up for often than you’d think. I’d hate for you to get here this early and not have the chance to reschedule someone the day before. You get paid per client, don’t you?”

He hadn’t expected her forethought. It was surprising, given her expensive attire and poised appearance. He hadn’t thought her to be someone who would ignore his attitude—even Gi-Gan and Jae-Ha found it off-putting. Taking the offered phone, he quickly typed in his number, saving the information for her before handing it back. “It’s fine, I workout if I get a cancelation anyways.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything different from a gym rat,” she teased lightly, smirking. “I should go get cleaned up and ready for work. Thanks for today! I’ll see you next week, right? I think that’s our next appointment.”Hak nodded, sliding his pen back into his pocket and tucking the clipboard against his side. “Yeah, I won’t be in this week in the morning. We’ll start up next week but you’re free to come in whenever you get the chance until then and get a head start. The gym is open all day and night, so just check-in and use whatever machine catches your fancy.”

She beamed, uttering a quick goodbye as she walked towards the treadmills, waving widely to catch her friend’s attention. Hak pulled the clipboard out again, taking a look at the information he’d written over the course of an hour one more time. At the top, scribbled in awkward cursive, he’d written ‘ _Princess_ ’. He smirked, gripping the plastic board tightly as he made his way back to the staff computer, already ignoring the loud shouts from Jae-Ha emerging from the back employee entrance. 

She might not be the worst client after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so stoked about this setting, y'all have no clue. It's weird writing a world where they don't know each other but I'm excited to see how it goes. Thanks for joining in!


	2. Misdirection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone misdirects some frustration from time to time.

The morning was proving to be infuriating before he had a chance to start.

His water was running cold again—a byproduct of a shared water tank on his floor—and the slip of paper he’d nearly slipped over on his way out only made him hiss into the thermos that held his coffee. Slipping the pink paper in his pocket, Hak headed off to work. Only when he arrived—having completely snubbed Jae-Ha and Gi-Gan at the door—did he reach for his phone and found the final nail in his coffin. A text from Yona, asking to reschedule.

Again.

Yona was possibly the worst client he'd ever had. She was callous, viewed each exercise with distaste, and rescheduled so often Hak was finding it more and more difficult to justify staying late for her. Despite this, she was at the very least determined and punctual once rescheduled, so he let it go. 

However, the rescheduling had to stop. 

"Is there a time that works best for you?" He finally asked later that morning, exhausted and awaiting her slow routine of packing up her gym towel and water bottle. She stopped mid-task, hands hovering in the duffel bag. 

"What?"

"You rescheduled every day this week. Early morning isn't working for you, though I’m not sure why you would bother signing up for an appointment at a time that isn’t convenient for you. So I’ll ask again; is there a time that works better for you?"

"Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize it.” She dropped the duffel, pulling her phone from her joggers. Sliding through until her schedule popped up, Yona sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’ve just been busy this week. I’ll be sure to reschedule other things instead next time.”

Hak glared at her, unconvinced. “I have things I could be doing instead,” he pressed, angrily clicking on the trainer window to close the excess windows. “You’re responsible for some of my income, you know. I only get paid if you show up, that’s the way things work around here. I’m a contract hire. If you reschedule, it throws off my other work schedules and I lose shifts.”

Yona frowned, fingers still poised over the glass screen. “I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more intentional about my planning.”

"Are you sure because—"

"He's in a bad mood," Jae-Ha interrupted as he walked by dragging the misplaced weight bench. He grunted as the bench dropped into place, the heavy equipment barely making a sound as it dropped into the heavily padded mat. "Please forgive him, he's not usually this sour in the morning."

Hak glared at him intensely, his teeth gritting tightly as he fought the urge to throw his clipboard at him. Yona nodded hesitantly, though her expression spoke volumes of her discomfort. "I'll just…go then. I'll see you in two days."

Jae-Ha waved warmly, waiting for her complete departure of the building before turning around and promptly kicking Hak behind the knees. Stumbling forward, he shouted angrily, fighting to regain his balance. "What the hell—"

"Stop being an asshole. She didn't do anything wrong."

"I know."

"Then stop being an asshole," Jae-Ha repeated, digging his hands into the pocket of his sleeveless forest green hoodie. "What's your deal today anyway? It's not like you to be that angry."

Already tired of conversing about something he hasn't even verbalized yet, Hak fumbled around in his sweatpants pockets before finding the main object of his ire. Pink paper emerging from his pocket, he shoved it towards Jae-Ha. The older man frowned, clearly recognizing the color to mean something unpleasant before unwrapping the crinkled notice. A heavy scowl painted his face.

"Are they seriously raising your rent again?"

"Seems like it," Hak relief curtly, checking his still open trainers portal. With Yona having picked up his last available slot of the day, he was free to go home until his next job. He would have to talk to his other boss about potentially picking up graveyard shifts at this point.

"This isn't right Hak, you should do something about this."

"It's fine, I can pay."

"I'm sure there are laws about—"

"Yeah, like you're suddenly the expert in following law and order."

Jae-Ha gave him a pointed glare that promptly shut him up. "All I'm saying," he resumed, waving the pink slip back at his face. "Is that you should consider talking to someone about this. At this rate, you're going to be evicted."

"Who would I even talk to?"

"Kouren might listen."

"I'm not about to take my problems with my slum landlord up with the most popular person in this city—especially when it's not a problem because I can pay."

"I'm assuming you won't be telling your dad about this?"

A dark glare was the only answer he needed.

Jae-Ha sighed tiredly, shoving the paper back into Hak's open palm. "Fine but don't come crying to me when you get evicted and have to pick between going back home or crashing at my place" he drawled, sauntering back towards the pile of misplaced equipment he was in charge of replacing. Pausing mid-step, he turned to look at Hak one last time, worry etched in his brow. "You know, life isn't supposed to be this difficult in when you're an adult. You can rely on others. That's all."

* * *

"He's an asshole," Yona complained tiredly, hand subconsciously reaching up to massage the ache that was forming in her shoulder. It had only been a few hours since her gym appointment and she was already feeling sore, a feeling she normally coveted as a reward for her hard work but today felt more like a punishment she wrongfully received. Shin-Ah gave her a peculiar look as he prepared her drink behind the counter, only complaining when she leaned against the pop-up table.

"It's not stable," he said softly, arm gently guiding her to a safer spot behind the small coffee cart beside the cypress plant. Zeno smiled from the other end of the counter.

"I'm sure he's not that bad."

"Whatever you're imagining, he's ten times worse and ten thousand times less professional."

A hint of a sarcastic smile twitched at the corner of Zeno's lips but he retained his typical sunny customer service disposition, turning to face the next person in line. Yona sighed loudly as if she was not completely out of place behind the counter in her slate grey business attire and carefully polished black heels. Ignoring the confused stare from the awaiting customer, she stepped forward to accept the completed drink from her friend. 

"I'm serious Shin-Ah," she grumbled. "Today he worked me harder than ever, just because he was in a bad mood. What kind of trainer does that?"

"What does Tao say to you?"

She blinked furiously, attempting to remember the words despite how out of place the question seemed. A man of few words, Shin-Ah tended to seek an answer in as few words as possible. What made little sense now would surely come full circle in a moment, if she could just--

"Anger and frustration is the language of people who lack the means or words to help themselves." She recited, her chest puffing in a mild attempt to mimic Tao's proud stance.

Ah. There it was. Eyes narrowed to a mischievous glare, she bumped Shin-Ah on the shoulder with her paper cup. "Okay, I see your point. Yes, he could have some bigger issues going on. Or more likely, he's just a jerk."

That would be the easiest option, she mused, taking a long sip of her vanilla latte. Not to say that Tao was wrong about her phrase and that Yona was against helping others who needed the political push they could give, but it was so much easier to think of him as some self-entitled jerk. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry between the protests she was organizing and the actual intern work she was paid to do in the marble halls of the Capitol. Straightening up to thank Shin-Ah, she readied herself for another stretch of walking about when Shin-Ah calmly placed a hand on her head and firmly pushed her to the floor. Yelping at the sudden force, he held her down firmly, ignoring the dirty look she shot him from down below. Zeno's smile as he approached them only served to further enrage her until he spoke.

'"Good afternoon Representative Tae-Jun. Espresso as usual?"

Yona stiffened. Shin-Ah gently patted her head before raising his arm to the level of the coffee cart, setting to work on the order. Zeno took the extended card she couldn't see with a smile, tapping in the total cost on the tablet.

"How are you today? Has the council decided on anything yet?"

Tae-Jun scoffed loudly, annoyance dripping through his tone. "They never decide anything," he grumbled. "We're still arguing on whether or not to push some of Kouren's proposed plans for approval. Knowing those old men, we won't decide until someone tries to sue the city."

"Sounds like a difficult job," Zeno replied cheerily, handing back the card. "We appreciate your diligence in making our country and city a better place."

"Yes well...I would like that." A cup slid across the pop-up table, skidding hollowly across the surface as Tae-Jun picked it up. She could hear his feet shuffle awkwardly on the marble floor behind the cart. "Have you seen Yona, by any chance?"

"Can't say that I have."

Shin-Ah began working diligently at cleaning the used machine, hands focused on wiping down every nook and cranny of the stainless steel surface. Tae-Jun sighed dejectedly, feet scuffing again. "I see… Could you pass a message for me?"

She assumed Zeno nodded, based on the slight hesitation in Shin-Ah's handiwork. 

"Please let her know I'm sorry to have made things awkward. I didn't know she was with Soo-Won. I...I sincerely would like to apologize for my behavior."

"I'm sure she knows but we'll tell her all the same. Have a good day Representative."

Nervously awaiting the departing sounds of his heeled shoes, Yona let out an audible sigh of relief as Shin-Ah extended his hand, helping her rise to her feet. "Thank you."

"You should really talk to him sometime," Zeno began, taking advantage of the now cleared line. "He seemed upset about what happened between you two."

"It's just…awkward."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Not many people seem to know you're dating Soo-Won. I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything if he knew."

"Almost no one knows," she corrected, although her words were lackluster. Almost no one knew because Soo-Won made almost no effort to let anyone know, aside from the occasional semi-public dates they took after work. Even then his romantic efforts were limited to the occasional hug or kiss, all of which Yona noted to herself, was instigated by her. It didn't trouble her; Soo-Won was new to the Council and therefore, required a specific public image for now. It made sense that Tae-Jun would have approached her during lunch one day, declaring his undying feelings for her in an auspiciously loud manner, effectively embarrassing them both at the front of the Capitol building. "It's fine. I'll talk to him later, I just need some space, that's all."

"Are you sure everything is alright? You've seemed off since that day."

Even Shin-Ah was eyeing her curiously now, unconvinced by what she already knew to be her most obvious tell; the fake smile plastered across her face. Shaking her hands furiously, she lifted the pop up table and ducked underneath it, safely emerging on the other side. Her heels clicked as she stepped back, waving goodbye. 

"Everything is fine, don't worry. I'll be alright."

* * *

Everything was not alright, she thought grimly, powering through her final set of lunges. The burning in her thighs was nothing compared to the fire in her fists. In retrospect, given the grueling workout she’d endured that morning, the need for a rest day was absolutely on the table. It was just far from reach, meant for someone with less stress and misplaced rage. Someone who unlike her, hadn't been refused her request to stay over. Again. Exhaling forcefully through her nose, Yona fiddled with the velcro straps that served to tighten her padded fingerless gloves. Adjusted well and comfortable, she set both hands on the weighted sled. The rubber grips of the gloves caught slightly as she slid them up and down to find the optimal height. Satisfied with the placement, she set to work pushing. 

Soo-Won was an excellent boyfriend, she continued ruminating, grunting with each heaving step. He brought her lunch when she was too busy working to remember to eat, took her out on regular dates when their schedule permitted, and even remembered to bring her spare comfortable shoes, for the days where heels were just too agonizing to withstand a moment longer. Soo-Won, who she had been dating for nearly half a year, but was still reluctant to make a move. So she asked, on a nearly daily basis she noted with another loud grunt as her left leg worked to brace her right, and every evening Soo-Won politely declined.

Perhaps misplaced frustration was a more appropriate term right now.

Beside her, Hak stared silently, stuck in what seemed like a mix of awe and concern. She ignored him, focus solely on the final steps of her routine. Sled dropping slightly into the depressed divot, Yona exhaled with relief, the lights twinkling ever so slightly.

“You need to learn how to breathe while you exercise.”

“I know how, I was a runner.”

“There’s a difference between rhythmic breathing and breathing during your routine,” Hak dismissed, leaned comfortably against the pole that divided the training area. “You have to remember to exhale when you exert, inhale during release. It’s easier on your lungs and you won’t wobble every time you finish a circuit.”

Yona rolled her eyes, already drowning out his words amidst the hundreds of other issues that were already weighing on her. It was the end of the day and she knew there would be a stack of papers for her to review tomorrow, to taxi from building to building. She could feel the ghosts of the aches she would endure in her feet hours later. She could imagine the next stack of papers she would be asked to distribute throughout the city with Tao, the public discourse she would listen to with compassion, and the emotional heavy lifting she would need to sustain with her through the week. She did not need Hak’s judgment, let alone unsolicited advice, especially when she wasn’t even there for a training session.

No, she was here to let off steam.

Brushing past him, she made out of the training mat and headed for the free weights. Hak followed closely behind, based on the heavy steps she could hear shadowing hers on the plastic fabric beneath them. “You really shouldn’t be trying new equipment like this--”

“What do you want?” She snapped, unable to bear his sudden change in attitude, still rocked by the ferocious unkindness he’d displayed mere hours ago. “Either you’re my trainer or you aren’t. You can’t be pissy one moment and then thoughtful the next, especially if I’m not here to see you.”

Hak flinched back, the hand he’d outstretched to grab hers still poised midair as he processed her words. Eyes now cold, he dropped his arm and stepped back, both arms up in defeat. “Whatever, I was just trying to help.”

Miffed and ready to continue blowing off steam, Yona pressed on to the weights. Selecting one that didn’t quite intensify the burn in her biceps, she worked on one of the sets she’d practice earlier last week with Hak. His face floated through her imagination, causing her to wrinkle her nose, arms faltering momentarily between movements. For all his good feedback, she found it difficult to work under someone so callous. They were nothing alike, and if anything, she found herself more and more grateful for the few friends she did have at work. Unable to concentrate well enough on her set, she sighed, replacing the weights into their appropriate spots. 

Exercising wasn’t settling any of her anxious energy. 

Eyes darting around for anything that would demand total physical exertion, she briefly noted Hak glaring at her beside Jae-Ha from the training mat before finally fixing on the deadlift machine in the corner. Yes. That would do completely. She’d watched Jae-Ha instruct someone the other day during her stretches. It seemed innocent enough, especially given that it wasn’t a complete deadlift—something called a T-bar row based on what she could read off the scuffed instructions from afar. Re-adjusting her gloves on last time, Yona made a bee-line for the machine, doing a minor check of the weights placed before stepping onto the large footplates suspended above the ground. Ignoring the prickling on her neck that was sure to mark Hak’s angry stare, she tested her grip and widened her stance. Exhale once, inhale once, exhale again.

Somewhere between that second exhale and her forgotten second inhale, she heard someone yell from the front. By the time she’d registered the voice, however, the press was lifted and sustained, muscles rigid with exertion. The lights instantly twinkled before her, causing her to blink quickly in succession, though the refraction of light remained. Her fingers tingled and she vaguely felt herself release the grips before the warmth drained from her face. For a moment, she fell back but something warm broke her fall just before hitting the ground, cradling her head awkwardly in a way that showed she’d just barely been caught. The twinkling won out eventually though, and she felt herself sink into the light.

Sometime later (moments or minutes, she wasn't sure of) she blinked back into full consciousness, eyes bleary but aware. The warmth was still beneath her but her head was already pounding. Her mouth felt like sandpaper. “What happened?”

“You locked your legs and lifted something way above your limit,” Hak replied curtly, looming over her. Jae-Ha popped in between, obscuring Hak from her view. “Gi-Gan’s calling your emergency contact.”

“I caught you just in time, don’t worry. Good thing too, you would have cracked your head on the machine behind you.”

It was Jae-Ha’s arms who caught her, she managed to think through the haze, legs still somewhat splayed out and wobbly. Willing some strength to them, she attempted to straighten up, only to have green hair spill onto her face as Jae-ha leaned over her. “Woah there, don’t stand up just yet. Let’s get you on the floor and sitting before we try standing.”

Somewhere between the transition of laying awkwardly in Jae-Ha's lap to semi-seated Yona heard Hak’s footsteps lead away, but Jae-ha’s long ponytail continued to tickle her face, blocking all from view until Hak was far from the weight zone. “Thanks,” she mumbled, watching Hak meet with the owner of the gym upfront, Gi-Gan. He gesticulated towards the back for a moment, never taking the courtesy of looking at either of them, before storming off. Gi-Gan sighed visibly, making her way over in short but quick strides. “Am I in trouble?”

“Sort of,” Jae-Ha replied with a hint of amusement, hands now removed from her back and seated comfortably beside her. “You were told to not use equipment without the proper training and you did nearly crack your skull open on our floor. But you’re also a paying customer. So, while you won’t get in trouble per se—”

“Do you have a death wish?”

“—You will get yelled at,” he finished feebly, shrugging as if Gi-Gan was not worth arguing against.

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“I know exactly what you were doing, I don’t need you to explain why you were using equipment you shouldn’t have touched in the first place. We have plenty of morons like you who come to work out their stress and overdo it in the process. What I want to know is why you didn’t listen to professional feedback in  _ my _ gym _. _ I don’t care if Kouren herself invited you or how much of an idiot that boy can be. Hak knows what he’s doing and if you aren’t going to listen to him when you aren’t working with him, how do I know you listen to him when you do?” Gi-Gan scolded, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes narrowed accusingly. “I don’t care for clients who can’t practice safety here and if you intend to continue doing whatever you want, then you aren’t welcome here.”

Thin and greying she was, there was no doubting the intensity of her anger or the sear behind her words, nor the imposing figure she cut standing before her. It was not unlike the ferocity she sought, Yona realized silently. Admonished and embarrassed, Yona shrunk lower to the ground, palms flat and firm on the floor as she withered. “I understand, I won’t do that again. I do listen to Hak, I was just in a bad mood. I should have respected your employees. Please forgive me; it was not his fault.”

Gi-Gan scoffed, nose wrinkled with disdain. “Don’t go defending him either, he was in the wrong too. I know he can be a pain but he knows better than to leave someone this clueless alone. If it weren’t for Jae-Ha’s quick reaction, you probably would have split your head open.”

Of this she was very aware, she thought grimly, fingers grazing the metal bar that sat inches from her spine. The machines were spaced well apart, but she’d stumbled back upon fainting. Based on his flushed cheeks, Jae-Ha had determined what would happen and sprinted over. She wasn’t quite sure how he managed to catch her in time but feeling out the on the crick in her neck, he’d barely caught her at all.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, eyes averted and glued to her shoes. “That was...stupid.”

Gi-Gan huffed loudly, departing with mutters of ungrateful clients and needing to reorganize the weight lifting space to accommodate for fainting idiots. Jae-Ha chuckled softly as he leaned back and rested on his arms, legs still crossed out in front of him. “Well, that could have been worse. She’s right though. You should have listened to him and he should have stayed with you. Are you getting along? You can always do your lessons with me.”

“We’re fine, it’s just been an off week.”

“You’ve never exercised to stress release, have you?”

“Running was my stress relief, I just fell out of practice.”

“So why not get back into it?”

Yona flushed felt herself flush red, cheeks hot despite the chill and tingling that remained in her fingers. Pulling herself into an upright position, she scooted back against the machine that had previously threatened to split her head. Comfortable, she set to work removing the exercise gloves that had once felt empowering, gloves that now seemed itchy and constricting. 

“I wanted to feel strong,” she muttered wearily, torso and head rolling back to slump against the cool metal. The chill soothed an ache she hadn’t noticed earlier. She’d probably pulled a muscle, pushing herself too quickly like that. Stupid. “I told him that—I want to feel stronger. I don’t _feel_ strong. I want to _be_ stronger.”

She could feel Jae-Ha’s eyes studying her, checking out every angle of her limp form. “I don’t think I completely follow, but I also don’t think you’re being honest with yourself right now.”

Yona tilted her head towards him slightly, dubious. After taking in his sincere expression, she relented. Better someone she barely knew than Lili—she would never hear the end of it. Tao was too understanding and it would hardly go better if she told Yoon once she got home, though she suspected she’d have to explain why she was so stiff tomorrow. “You promise not to laugh?”

“I’ll give it a solid attempt.”

She was beginning to understand why Hak didn’t seem to like him. 

“I’m...frustrated with my boyfriend.”

A smirk flashed across his face before settling on a twitching but somewhat neutral position. “You wouldn’t be the first to come here because they were...frustrated.”

“It’s not like that—” The color was rushing back to her cheeks, and she was now certain of the reason behind Hak’s avoidance of his coworker. “I’m just mad at him, okay? It was dumb, I thought coming here would be better than throwing a bunch of pillows at the wall back home.”

“Don’t have anyone to talk to? Or would they just tease you?”

Like you, she thought bitterly, now leaning forward to place her hands on her knees. Grunting at the effort necessary to balance herself after an agonizing workout, Yona rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen up. Jae-Ha continued unabated.

“Well, you’re always welcome to work off whatever stress you’ve got. Just don’t upset Gi-Gan or Hak while you do it. They’re pretty intense but they do genuinely worry about the clientele. You’re also new at this, so you should stick to the easy stuff for now when you’re alone. That or bring a friend.”

“I will next time.”

“And hey, if you need any release, I’m more than happy to supply a number.” She looked up sharply, hands still placed on her knees mid crouch. Jae-Ha grinned slyly. “Just kidding.”

“Are you two actually friends?” she blurted, back cracking painfully as she finally extended to her full height. “You seem incompatible.”

“If I said we were a thing before, would you believe me?”

“No,” Yona replied, deadpanned. The laughter hidden behind his words made her even more adamant. “I find that immensely hard to believe.”

Her response drew the full chuckle from his chest, now standing beside her in full as well. He was more limber than her in comparison, easily standing to full height in the time it took her to simply get to her knees. Jae-Ha shrugged cooly and grinned. “I have to get back to work. Take tomorrow off; Gi-Gan probably already took you off the calendar for tomorrow. She’ll probably have told your emergency contact to meet you out back, so take the back exit. The parking lot is back there. You should be okay to walk over there alone.” He waved lazily over his shoulder, sauntering back towards the front counter where Gi-Gan stood silent, judging her. “See you another day.”

Yona's frown deepened, suddenly struck with the gravity of his words. Her emergency contact was Yoon.

Shuffling as quickly as she could to the corner where she’d abandoned her gym bag. Digging into it until her phone slipped between her fingers, she unearthed it from the piles of clothes she’d stuffed in there between work and the gym. Her worn heels scratched at the back of her fingers as she withdrew the phone, groaning loudly upon seeing the cosmic amount of texts and missed calls from Yoon flashing on the screen. Gathering up her loose belongings and cramming them into the duffel bag, she slung it over her shoulder and started jogging towards the exit.

Yoon would be furious to hear that she came to the gym after work after all her virtual bellyaching that afternoon, but he would be even  _ more _ inflamed when he found out she did something that stupid. Now that her misplaced rage had settled, it was very obvious to her that trying to deadlift without assistance when she could barely lift the regular weights was an immensely short-sighted plan. The last thing she needed was to hear that same line of thought from Yoon, except with more cursing and panic.

She flung the door to the back parking lot open, stopping dead in her tracks when she spotted Hak, sitting in the open bed of an old blue truck. His phone in hand, he gaped her for a split second before seemingly recalling why he was angry with her. “Jae-Ha really should have walked you here.” He grumbled, falling back onto the rolled mat placed against the rear panel. 

“I feel fine,” she argued weakly, fully aware of the drumming that lingered at the back of her head and her screaming muscles. “He said I should wait for my ride here and that I’d be fine.”

“Asshole knew I was back here.”

Struck by the comment, Yona fought the urge to march back and throw her shoe across the gym floor. Hak was right. This was entirely set up. Walking through the parked cars, she ignored Hak laying in the truck bed, stopping just at the end of the vehicle to get a better view of the main street from the secluded back alley lot. Just then, another comment Jae-Ha stated earlier came to mind. 

“Hey...did you two date before?”

Behind her, Hak swore loudly between the sound of his phone dropping to the truck bed and his head slamming against the rear panel. A glare of mixed emotions met her when she turned back to look at the disheveled scene, Hak still nursing what was sure to become a bump on the back of his head. “Where did you get that from?”

“Jae-Ha said something.”

“Of course he did.”

“So,” she pressed, curiosity getting the better of her. “Did you?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

That was a fair question, Yona contemplated with hesitation. It wasn’t fair to ask that question of someone like him, a person who did not enjoy sharing his personal affairs and barely (if at all) liked her. “I guess I was asking you out yourself there, wasn’t I?” she pondered aloud, wrapping her arms around her waist loosely. “I guess I’m just curious why he defends you. He seems to care about you, that’s all. I have a hard time understanding why, considering you’re such a jerk to me. Not to say that I think you hate women—I just wonder about the side of you I haven’t met yet. According to him, at least.”

They locked eyes, sharing the echoed sounds of the city inside the secluded lot, barely visible to the other under the shade of the dusky, poorly lit building. It was Hak who broke the silence between them first.

“I’m sorry,” he said slowly as if the words required all his effort to speak. “I’ve got some stuff going on and I took it out on you. It was immature.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to your advice today. I was in a bad mood.” She could hear the rolling of tires on the asphalt, a small thump of metal creaking as it dropped over the speed bump into the alley. “I should have listened to you. Can we start over next week?”

He nodded glumly, eyes now locked onto the floor of his truck bed. Yona turned towards her ride, already dreading Yoon’s displeased glower from the driver’s seat. She would have to make it up to him later. Looping around the front to the passenger seat, she reached for the handle.

“Yona.”

She hesitated, hand drawing back from the door handle as her head snapping up over the top of the car to look at Hak. Through the dim light, she thought she could see a hint of pink across his cheeks but that was likely her imagination at this rate. 

“He’s a friend now. That’s all. He’s can be...a lot.”

Ah. She smiled, producing a small wave over the hood. “Thanks for sharing. See you next week.”

“See you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so emotionally messy in comparison to the last Hak/Yona I wrote??? My notes have me drained y'all. 
> 
> Also whoever it was that turned me onto the several headcanons that are eventually being put into writing (bi Hak, Jae-Ha/Kija, potentially asexual Soo-Won, etc) you have done me a service and a crime. I am ruined.


	3. Stress Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust is a hard thing to build, let alone start.

Even two mornings later, Yona remained grateful to Gi-Gan for having canceled her upcoming appointment in advance. Stiffly rolling into her side like an overturned turtle, she began the painstakingly difficult task of sitting upright. Grimacing through each minute inch she managed to straighten, she groaned deeply in an effort to release the pain that threatened to stay her. Yoon stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed in a judging stare.

"You should have taken the bath when you got back like I told you to."

"I know."

"Why didn't you then?"

"I was tired and I wanted to sleep."

"Of course you're tired, you exercised twice in one day and nearly cracked your skull open on the second run. That's no excuse for skipping post-workout cooldowns. It's been two days and you're still sore. I'm beginning to think you actually hurt yourself. "

Yona attempted to sigh but it came out more like an angry grunt, no thanks to her completely clenched abdomen. Even sitting upright hurt. She felt akin to an unoiled and neglected machine. "It's very likely," she admitted with remorse. "But there's nothing I can do now. At worst, I pulled or strained a muscle. Thanks for checking in but I need to get a move on; we're heading down to the community center today to canvas for complaints regarding the tenant laws and we’re supposed to help with the meals. Zeno told us about it and I don’t want to ruin his hard work setting this up."

Yoon ignored her, already in the hallway chest-deep into the medicine cabinet built into the wall. Rifling through the wooden cabinet, he pulled out a metal tin, a small bottle of orange pills, and a small black bag. Backing into her bedroom once more, he pulled her desk chair up the bedside with a small kick before taking a seat in front of her. Dropping the pill bottle in her lap before grabbing a leg and yanking it up onto his lap, Yoon made quick work of her shorts as he rolled them up to her thigh. Tin popped open to reveal a massage bar, he began warming the fragrant bar between his hands. 

"You don't have to do this," she protested weakly, unphased by how quickly he'd gotten ready. She ignored the painful stretch in her calves that worsened with each minor movement. "I'll be fine."

"You could barely walk yesterday," Yoon grumbled, firmly rubbing the bar's oils into his palms before setting it back into the tin. Hands sufficiently coated, he set to work on massaging the overworked muscle. "I'd be a terrible nurse if I just let you leave like this, especially when you're going to be on your feet all day."

"Do your patients let you talk to them this way?" She winced under the pressure of his kneading thumbs, already uncapping the pill bottle to remove one painkiller. Tiredly, she reached for the bottle at her bedside and proceeded to down the medicine in one go, the dregs of her water helping the pill find its way down her throat.

"I only yell at the dumb ones," he replied curtly. "And you were very dumb."

"Can't argue with that," she replied dryly, watching as Yoon masterfully ran his warm hand up and down her leg. She could already feel the muscle loosening, a fair sight less tense than yesterday. She'd called in sick the day after her mishap, too tired and burnt out to leave the house. This was a process that had been repeated at least thrice before in the past, usually with Yona laying miserably on the couch while Yoon recited all the reasons she shouldn't be allowed to exercise alone anymore. 

Watching him pull up the next leg, she smiled. "Does anyone ever tell you that you're a good nurse?"

"Don't kiss up. I demand compensation."

"I bought you sushi last night," she complained hotly, thinking of all the leftovers in the fridge. Delicious, but still a hole in her wallet when they were both contributing to the household costs. The only benefit to keeping the house her father left behind with his retirement is that she didn't have to pay off the house, simply the utilities, and other lifestyle costs. Still, it didn't mean a lot on her salary. Shaking her head, she relented. "What do you want?"

"Cake. From that bakery, the one Soo-Won keeps taking you to. At least two slices."

She sighed, this time producing a true low and exasperated noise. "Fine, I will buy you cake on the way back from the community center."

Yoon grinned, gently slapping her calf lovingly before setting it down and pointing to the bag. "I highly suggest using the compression sleeves and taking the wrist braces today. You won't have a lot of mobility but it'll provide decent support so you can reduce the amount of stress on your body — and don't forget to wear good shoes!"

"I won't mother."

She somewhat deserved the smack on her forehead, even if she enjoyed it. Still, she smiled as she rose to her feet and began preparing for her day. Two hours later, fed and just pain-free enough for work, Yona waved eagerly to Lili and Tao from her waiting spot at the front door. The community center kitchen had yet to open but there were plenty of people mingling in the open garden and volunteers running from the kitchen to the storeroom. She'd spotted Shin-Ah and Zeno over in the corner, assisting people with the free coffee that had been placed out early. However, the person who truly caught her attention was the man dressed casually and draped in a navy blue apron, dropping off at least five boxes of donated pastries at the refreshments table with a young boy in tow. 

If she hadn't seen him several times a week before this, she wouldn’t have recognized Hak under his genuine smile. She flipped through her memories in disbelief, running through every grimace and scowl he'd ever directed at or around her. Not once had he smiled. Clearly she had to be wrong; surely it could not be the same Hak.

Tao caught her gaze and traced it back to the trainer, blinking twice before recognizing him for an entirely different personality. "Oh, do you know him?" She asked brightly. "According to Zeno, they are Mundok's adopted son's, Hak, and Tae-Yun. My sister told me that the oldest has been helping out since he was adopted but he isn't interested in running the place. It's such a shame with Mundok so close to retirement. He truly is good with the people."

Yona narrowed her gaze, scrutinizing the way he ruffled Tae-Yun’s hair and made small talk with her friends.  _ Surely _ it could not be the same Hak. And yet, based on how his face drained of its sunniness upon spotting her (no thanks to Zeno pointing her out) and how he replaced the smile with a sarcastic smirk, there wasn't a shred of doubt left in her. That was absolutely him.

Lili caught on quickly. "Oh, I recognize him! Isn't he that trainer you work with at the gym? The one you hate?"

If only Lili could learn to declare things more quietly. Hak's smirk fell to a straight, unbending line, eyes deadpan as he glared back. Grasping his younger brother’s hand, he dumped the remaining pastry boxes onto the table and headed back towards the kitchen. Shin-Ah’s eyes darted from her to Hak guiltily before hastily following after the brothers. Lili laughed heartily, unperturbed the dirty look Yona was throwing her. "You did that on purpose."

"I couldn't help it," she admitted shamelessly. "It's a shame you don't like him. He's really good looking ."

"I don't hate him," Yona said hotly, now following her friends as they made their way through the crowd and towards the coffee station where Zeno awaited them. "I just...I don't know. We're just opposites. He's serious and no-nonsense, and I — "

"You're also serious and no-nonsense." Tao offered helpfully. "I think you're taking him at face value. Perhaps you should try getting to know him beyond his surface. I'm sure you could become friends. It’s your specialty, after all."

Yona sighed. Today would be an awfully long day. Rather than argue all the reasons she  _ didn’t _ get along with Hak, she followed her team to the coffee table, where Zeno waved at them excitedly.

“I didn’t know you knew Hak!” He exclaimed brightly, hands already busied with opening the abandoned pastry boxes and organizing them neatly on the table. “I would have told him you were attending if I knew.”

“I didn’t know he worked here either,” she grumbled half-heartedly. Taking up a cherry Danish from the selection of pastries with a napkin, she took a large bite in an effort to sweeten her own mood. 

"Yes, this is his father's work. Mundok was the one who created this community center, years ago. Hak spends a lot of his time here; it's how we met." 

"How long have you known each other?" Lili asked cheerily, grabbing small bottles of water for each of her friends. 

"Since before I knew Yona and Tao," he replied, smile wavering only slightly. He busied his hands with placing out more disposable plates, despite that no one really needed more styrofoam cups. "This was my home for a few years before your friends helped me find employment again, I came here when my...my...ah..."

Yona fixed her attention on her friend, noting how his smile hollowed briefly before falling from his face completely, turning back to her pastry. "You don't have to share right now," she said finally, swallowing her dry meal painfully as she reached out for one of the many bottles Lili had picked out. "We're here to work, so set us out to work."

Zeno beamed. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

He was here to work, Hak reminded himself for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, feeling the prickling on his neck whenever Shin-Ah turned to stare at him from the other end of the kitchen. His usual jobs consisted of having to pull out any needed boxes from storage, set up new shelter rooms for their more transient population, and train any new regular volunteers. Today, in his effort to maintain what he insisted were professional boundaries, he was determined to confine himself to the back end of the kitchen and behind the counter that separated him from the rest of the cafeteria. He'd managed to do this for several hours and was determined to maintain this until the end of the designated lunch schedule.

Shin-Ah's watchful eyes had other plans.

Feeling the small prod on his shoulder followed by a soft 'Hak', he turned his attention upwards and over the stainless steel counter. In the far distance, he spotted Yona sitting with Zeno and a few other regulars, smiling as they shared a meal. He watched stone-faced as she smiled at the stranger sympathetically, hand reaching over and cupping over theirs in a gesture of good faith.

Hak scowled.

"What's your plan here? I don't like her attitude. That doesn't mean I think she's an asshole. Maybe a little out of touch with what she’s doing but not cruel."

Shin-Ah shrugged, pulling the cardboard box Hak was neglecting out from under his arms and slitting it open with the box cutter in his hand. He unpacked the pre-packaged boxes of dry cereal carefully, organizing them into neat piles. "She's very kind and selfless," he murmured. "She wants to help."

"Helping only goes so far if you aren't willing to listen," Hak argued back. "Mundok wouldn't have started this community center if we had people who listened at the capitol building. Every politician there has done the same; they come here to listen to complaints, share a meal with someone who makes a good photo op and then they get elected. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kouren doesn’t come back either. I haven't seen any of the rest of our nation’s council, here again, have you?"

"She's still here," Shin-Ah voiced helpfully, amber eyes still glued to his friend across the room. "Yona cares. Just like you care."

Hak felt himself grow hot at his collar, suddenly thankful for the thick hooded sweater he'd borrowed from Jae-Ha that morning. Rather than look into the knowing face of his old-time friend, he turned back to glare at the object of his ire. "I don't like seeing everyone get their hopes up, only to be disappointed," he grumbled, reaching down to pull up another box that had yet to be unpacked. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Shin-Ah's knowing smile brought another rush of heat to his cheeks, so instead Hak attempted a change in subject, gloved hands buried in a box of packing peanuts and small cans of powdered milk. "How do you know her anyway? Working at the courthouse?"

"Yes. Vanilla latte or early grey tea." Shin-Ah paused his work, eyes still glued to Yona who now moved onto a different stranger that sat quietly at the far end of the table. It was hard not to watch Shin-Ah while at work, Hak thought to himself, his own stare fixated on the other as his own work stalled. Half of Shin-Ah's conversations were non-verbal, shoved into small gestures, glances, and tiny sad smiles. "Yona helped with my medicine."

"That's who set you up with medical care?" Hak questioned doubtfully, eyes darting to Yona then back to Shin-Ah. He thought back to earlier that year when he helped Shin-Ah get set up with a physician and finally seeing the mental health specialist whom he'd desperately needed. It hadn't been that long ago when Shin-Ah had all but stopped talking, dropping by the community center out of habit but remaining locked away in tasks that required no human interaction. A frown ran across his features, recalling that this was only possible due to the changes in medical access for the public, which previously had been limited to those with high paying jobs. "I thought that was Kouren's law?"

"Yona asked. Kouren listened." It was Shin-Ah's turn to blush now. "Reminds me of you."

"How's that?" Hak responded, genuinely amused. 

"You ask and listen. It's… It's like a family," he muttered, and Hak knew from experience that Shin-Ah's words had been spent for the day. Gently, he tapped a gloved fist to the crown of his head.

"Thanks."

Whatever peaceful work was left to them was sorely interrupted by Jae-Ha who announced his arrival by throwing his arms over Hak's shoulders and pressing the length of his chest against Hak's spine. "I'm going to die alone," he bemoaned loudly, ignoring the shocked expressions he'd garnered in response throughout the cafeteria. Even Yona was staring, Hak noted, as Jae-Ha moved his hands further south and buried them into the pouch of his hoodie.

"Could you save your melodrama for after I finish working?" Hak griped, grasping Jae-Ha's wrists firmly as he pulled them from his clothing. He made no move to pull away from the cheek pressed against his ear though, despite how much they ached against the loud proclamation made only seconds ago. "I told you I'd go to the car when I was done."

"I thought you would enjoy a visit from me." His voice now settled into a soft whisper, Jae-Ha’s hands slipped out from the pouch and inched back down under the view of the counter, settling low on Hak's hips. His thumbs twiddled with the tips of the back pockets teasingly. "Why else did you tell me you wanted a ride back home this morning?"

"Because I'm using you for the hot showers and I'm covered in dust."

Jae-Ha stifled a laugh, chin leaning forward more to fit comfortably in the crook of his shoulder. "Is that Yona?"

"Don't remind me."

"She's not awful," Jae-Ha chided, fingers playing the belt loops of his pants. "I think she's actually rather nice, if, not a bit sexually frustrated."

Hak nearly stabbed himself with the box knife he'd been using to unbox, the cardboard slipping onto its side in the process. "What?"

"Oh you know how it goes," Jae-Ha sang, unpeeling himself from Hak's back just enough to roll over to his right, leaving one arm coiled comfortably around his waist. "Someone comes to the gym to blow off some steam because their partner isn't in the mood for whatever reason. We've all done it."

"I think what you mean is that  _ you've _ done it. Isn't that why you're here anyway? Because that guy you keep asking out won't bite?"

"Did you just refer to yourself as a booty call Hak?"

"I wasn't aware I've ever been anything else," he replied dryly. If he focused, Hak could almost pretend that Yona wasn't watching him, watching Jae-Ha wrap himself like a python around his body. At least Shin-Ah was used to this. "Seriously. Go wait in the car. I'll be there in a few minutes to keep you from day drinking your unrequited love into the gutter."

"Fine," Jae-Ha sighed, finally releasing Hak's waist. Hak felt a finger curl under his chin, eyes narrowing suspiciously but barely having time to complain when Jae-Ha tugged it towards his own face and pressed their lips together. Jae-Ha smirked against his lips, tugging his lower lip lightly between his teeth before pulling away with a sadistic smirk. "You're a good friend, saving me from self-sabotage."

If he neglected to say anything back, it was because he could barely hear anything outside the drumming of his own heartbeat. Ears burning, Hak centered his focus back on setting out more pre-packaged meals for the family food distribution that was coming up, ignoring Jae-Ha's snickering as he exited the back door and Shin-Ah's concerned look from his left. Instead, he motioned for Shin-Ah to start bringing over the prepared bags that were set out behind them, ready for needy families to take home over the weekend. Left to his own devices, he exhaled slowly and pressed his hands onto the counter, head low as he willed his face to cool.

"So, just friends huh?"

There was no grace left for him on this planet. 

Eyes peeling up from the counter, Hak frowned. "What's it matter to you?" He snapped instantly, unable to keep the bite from his tone. 

Yona stared at him, unperturbed. "Just a question. You looked uncomfortable, that's all. Thought I would ask." She turned to leave and a pit formed in his stomach.

"Wait." He grimaced. "Sorry. Don't go. I'm just…annoyed."

She frowned but her feet remained steady, unmoving. "Are we ever going to talk without arguing?"

"Maybe if Jae-Ha stops interfering," he replied wryly, though his wry humor never quite reached his face. He was fucking this up. "Thanks by the way."

"What for?"

"You helped Shin-Ah. He's been my friend for a long time, always needed help. Thanks for helping him get it, even if you just listened."

Yona blinked, stepping closer to the counter and perching her arms over it comfortably. Hak examined the small dark braces that were hidden under her long peach sleeves, peeking out only where they wrapped around her palms. So there were physical repercussions for her actions that day. At least she seemed to know some sense of self-care. "I should be thanking you and your family for Zeno. I had no idea this is where he stayed when his wife died. You probably save his life, you know."

"He's a good person. A little weird and too formal but an honest man. I'm glad to know we could help."

She smiled, violet eyes studying him closely. "I think I had you all wrong. I see what Jae-Ha was talking about. You really care about this place and the people here."

Again with the warmth around his ears. At least this time they were already pink, no need for her to know she'd caused its reappearance. "What makes you say that," he said instead, voice as cool as he could will it to be.

"Everyone here speaks highly of you," she replied simply, head tilting slightly to motion towards the room. "Sure, they do speak a lot of your father and the volunteers, but most of the good things I heard today were about you. They seem to really look up to you. People down on their luck only speak that way when someone shows them that they genuinely care. They tend not to trust others."

"You too," he found himself saying, unable to stop staring at the way she smiled when facing the only home he'd ever known. "People speak highly of you too.'

She laughed dismissively. "I'm sure they were talking about Tao and Lili, they're much more active in the community with than I am — "

"I meant my family. You helped them where I couldn't. They love you. So thank you."

It was surprising to see how red Yona could get, Hak thought, watching as her face suddenly heated to the same shade of raspberry that colored her hair. Nervously running her hands through the curly locks, she quickly pulled it into a haphazard low ponytail. Tiny strands stuck out at every inch, a symptom of her embarrassed fidgeting but she didn't seem to notice. 

"It seems we share a family," she mumbled, fingers playing with her remaining free hair at the sides of her ears. "Small world."

"Small world," he agreed.

"Anyways… Are you ok? You didn't seem happy about getting all that attention."

"You don't have to be a social worker for me," he clarified, peeling the thin work gloves off his hands and placing them under the counter. "I'm fine. I just don't like flaunting my relationships all over the place."

"I thought you said you weren't dating?"

"We aren't. It's...a mutual, fluid, and temporary arrangement."

Hak watched with amusement as Yona worked through the math in her head, gears visibly turning as she came to the conclusion he'd left thinly veiled for her to find. "Oh — _ oh." _

Some part of him relished the deeper shade of red that was now spreading to her ears, open for him to see now that her hair was pulled up. He wondered briefly if someone could develop heat exhaustion through a blush. Yona coughed awkwardly. “So uh, everything is okay then?”

Hak could hear Shin-Ah placing bags on the table behind him, feet hesitating across the linoleum floor. Peering over his shoulder, Hak looked for Shin-Ah’s shy gaze, causing him to shrink involuntarily as they locked eyes. “You’re worried too, aren’t you?” Hak questioned loudly. Shin-Ah didn’t reply, simply boring into him with his deep honeyed eyes. Hak sighed.

“I’m just annoyed,” he replied, loud enough so that Shin-Ah could hear from the back of the kitchen. He set aside the now empty box and tucked the boxcutter into one of the pockets of his apron, turning to start relocating the finalized take-home bags to the front counter for easy grabbing. Yona glanced once behind her, assessing that someone would have to hand out the bags, and straightened herself into a more professional posture. “He’s a rampant flirt and has a bad reputation for never sticking around. This week he’s got it into him that he wants to date some guy he met somewhere — ”

“The bakery.” Shin-Ah piped in helpfully, voice barely audible past the crinkling of the paper bags. 

“ —but his reputation beat him to the punch.” Hak finished dryly, dumping three more bags onto the counter. People were beginning to wander towards the kitchen again, eager to pick up meals that would help sustain their families through the week. Yona quickly set to work helping distribute bags, passing one per family as they approached, and listening to Hak tick off the amount of bags taken as he stood behind her with a thin clipboard. “So we have an agreement; we work out each other’s stress and I don’t have to deal with him hungover in the middle of the day.”

He noticed Yona fighting the urge to laugh past her polite smile as she passed off another bag, catching the loud disapproving sigh from Shin-Ah in the back. Her shoulders trembled under her swallowed laughter, the corner of her mouth twitching. Twirling to glare, Shin-Ah quickly spun away to avoid his ire, suddenly very interested in cleaning the counter with a discarded rag. Deeming this an unnecessary argument, Hak turned back to his task of pushing forward donated food bags and marking off what had already been taken.  "What about you? Jae-Ha said you came to work out your frustrations last week. Trouble in monogamous relationship land?"

She shot him a half-hearted glare, laughter now completely eaten, shoulders no longer trembling. "Is this one of those you shared, therefore I should share?”

"It’s not a problem for me, but I get the feeling Shin-Ah will be upset if you don’t tell me."

He watched her lean over to look at Shin-Ah, shoulders slumping in defeat when she spotted what was certain to be Shin-Ah’s most determined worried expression. She was much more at ease here with friends and with the public than she was at the gym, Hak noted. More expressive and friendly. Though Shin-Ah would likely have said the same thing about him being at the community center. 

"I'm dating one of the region's Representative's and it's going...slow. I'm actually beginning to think he might not like me."

Hak felt his brows raise in surprise. "Really? What makes you think that?"

"He never tries to go anywhere private with me," she resigned. "I could chalk it up to exhaustion at the end of the day but I'm beginning to feel like he's avoiding me. The other day one of the other newer Representatives hit on me because he didn't know we were even dating and they work together all day!"

“That’s awkward,” Hak mused, imagination already playing out the scene. He could picture something far too rosy, Yona standing at the white stone steps of the capitol building, dressed in that uncomfortable light grey pantsuit she rushed to strip halfway to the locker rooms on her busiest (latest) days. Some mysterious no-name guy proclaiming his everlasting and undying feelings to her in front of the entire political party. The mental image brought a smirk to his face. “How’d your boyfriend take it?”

“He didn’t even care!” She bemoaned loudly, startling the young woman in front of her. Smiling weakly, she held out the bag as a peace offering, the woman quickly snatching the bag before rushing off. Yona’s shoulders slumped even further, head wilting as she continued the task of passing off meals. At least the line was beginning to dwindle. “He’s not a jealous type and I do like that about him but it’s like he didn’t even have a problem with others thinking that we aren’t together! He’s smart, driven, focused, gorgeous — ” Shin-Ah sighed again from the back “ — but when it comes to dating it’s like he has no idea how to be romantic! I know he’s not some himbo, he could try to put in  _ some _ effort.”

Hak burst into laughter, nearly knocking over the remaining bags like a set path of dominos. Even Yona struggled to hide her smile, waving politely to the next family that departed. “Stop laughing, it’s not funny.”

“You just said your gorgeous and smart politician is romantically stupid,” Hak sputtered, struggling to pull back his laughter. Shin-Ah had made it over to his side by now, casually trying to clean the counter with a completely dry rag. “If you didn’t want me to laugh you should have stuck with how dreamy he is.”

“He is dreamy,” she grumbled, passing off the final bag with a nod of appreciation. She turned, arms crossed tightly as she leaned over the counter as menacingly as she could. It would have been more effective, Hak noted, if she didn’t need to stand on her tiptoes in order to do so. Her glossy lips and warm violet eyes didn’t really do her any favors, regardless of the fire he’d seen in them before. “Whatever. We both have relationship issues. We’re even.”

Hak rolled his eyes, reaching blindly under the counter until he found the plastic container of cleaning cloths. Snatching the dry rag from Shin-Ah’s hands, he replaced it with a fresh wet one, saturated with lemon-scented cleaning liquid. Fidgeting with the ties around his back until they came loose, he pulled the apron overhead, placing it on the table. “I have to go, I have a date with someone who can’t stop flirting long enough to hold an actual relationship.”

Shin-Ah smiled brightly, waving his own farewell, obscuring Yona who was struggling to continue their conversation through his skinny frame. “Wait — I have a question!”

“What is it?” he asked tiredly, though somewhat intrigued. She wasn’t the worst conversationalist; she was actually more fun than Jae-Ha, especially when he was in one of these moods. He’d be lying if he said he was looking forward to the rest of the afternoon with him, particularly when Jae-Ha’s go-to panacea for these moments revolved around rampant displays of affection as they attempted some type of distraction and usually devolved into being dragged back to his apartment for drinks or sex. It really depended on how badly he’d been rejected and by who. Based on his wistful expression and today’s interactions prior to being exiled back into his car, it was likely the latter of the options today. 

“Do you have any insight on the increases to rent around here? We came to speak with the people who might be affected by the lack of tenant laws and I was wondering if you knew anything.”

The playfulness of their conversation that had settled in his chest snapped back to detachment, eyes narrowing with unpleasant suspicion. “So, you were here to push some political agenda after all.”

Yona’s eyes mimicked his, a frown beginning to pull at the edges of her glossy berry lips. “I mean, yes and no? We did come to help and I enjoyed meeting everyone here but we  _ were _ canvassing for local issues and community input. I’m sure you’ve noticed that more and more people are being forced out of the city proper due to rent inflation. There’s no way for the populace to make an affordable living here that covers basic necessities, including rent. Why do you think there’s a community center in the first place?”

“I don’t need you to explain why  _ my adoptive father _ founded this place,” he snapped, ignoring Shin-Ah as he shrunk beside him, cleaning cloth completely discarded by now. “We don’t need you coming in offering solutions you have no intention of following through with. These people are  _ our _ community. From what I heard, you just moved here. What do you know about what they need?”

“That’s why I came here — ”

“If you’re not here to actually listen, to just pick up ideas that are going to build your popularity and get you some fancy seat in the council, then you can take your friends and leave. We don’t need you.”

“Hak — ”

He ignored her, sliding the apron off to a floundering Shin-Ah as he stormed off. Behind him, he could hear Shin-Ah stammer out apologies, but he didn’t care. Slamming the door open, he stormed out into the parking lot, marching himself directly into Jae-Ha’s car. The loud smack of his closing car door startled Jae-ha, who had apparently been engrossed in some social media feed on his phone. Blinking as he gathered his wits, he frowned. “What happened?”

“Nothing, let’s go.”

“Hak — ”

Hak twisted over the gear shift, careful to avoid the emergency brake as both his hands grasped the sides of Jae-Ha’s seat for stability. He pressed his mouth against Jae-ha’s hungrily, ignoring the initial quiet cry of surprise and opting to move one hand behind his head, cradling it closer. Jae-Ha reciprocated, mouth opening slightly to accommodate Hak’s lips and hands reaching up to cup his jawline. Hak blindly reached for the seat lever, a small grunt of satisfaction escaping his throat as his fingers wrapped around the plastic, yanking it just enough to dip the seat in a way that meant neither man was stuck straining their neck, both hands now required on the dropped seat for stability. They continued, separating only when it was necessary to breathe. Finally, as Hak departed Jae-Ha’s lips and began trailing down his exposed neckline, Jae-Ha laughed lowly, the echoes of his voice tremoring on Hak’s lips. He continued his task trailing hungry bites down the neck, unbothered whether or not someone could see them out here.

“Stress relief, huh?” Jae-Ha murmured, breathing heavily as Hak hummed into the crevice where shoulder and neckline met. “I thought you said you didn’t want my help with that anymore.”

“Shut up,” Hak grumbled, lips now pulled away from Jae-Ha’s fragrant skin. He smelled of pine, the same scent that wafted out of the shower this morning when Hak had borrowed his bathroom. Yona’s smile flashed before him, bringing a frown back to his features. She was nice, but he knew better than to befriend someone who would likely bring nothing but false promises. A bitterness that tasted an awful lot like betrayal was starting to sink into his chest, but Hak ignored it, instead choosing to lean his forehead onto Jae-Ha’s clavicle uncomfortably, exhaling slowly before pulling back into his seat. Eyes closed as he leaned back, he sighed. When he spoke, he wasn’t sure if the gruffness in his voice was due to the argument or his increasing desire to bury his problems inside Jae-Ha’s mouth. “Let’s just go to your apartment.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* I have a thing for bisexual Hak. And useful, loved Hak! His village and soldiers loved him in the manga, so I adore a Hak who acts really surly but honestly just loves his big old family. He's just a craby boy.
> 
> Don't worry. They'll get together in the end. Several times. Just not this chapter. 
> 
> I have a twitter! Follow me (or don't) for fanart, occasional story updates, and what games I play: https://twitter.com/toastyblanket7
> 
> Also, here's a bonus glance at how I planned out the character relationships at first which accidentally turned into memeable and relatable names like "crabby baby Hak": https://twitter.com/toastyblanket7/status/1288006789963722753?s=20
> 
> Decided not to kill King Il in the end. We'll see how much I regret that later.


	4. Unshared Sentiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yona has a REALLY bad day but it'll be okay.

The bakery was an ideal place for an early afternoon date, what with the selection of pastries and sandwiches available for the go. The ambiance was calming, and few people stayed to eat indoors. There was a reason many of the employees at the capital came here for a quick bite to eat between sessions, Soo-Won and Yona included. It  _ would _ have been a relaxing place to eat, had it not been for Yona’s continuous sour mood.

“What’s his deal?” Yona exclaimed furiously, still just as heated in the present over her plated slice of cake as she felt three days prior arguing with Hak in the cafeteria. “I didn’t even  _ do _ anything!”

“A lot of people around here share his sentiments,” Soo-Won explained calmly, unbothered by her angrily swinging cutlery. He gently pushed her hand down, bringing the polished fork down to meet the table, smiling all throughout. "You really shouldn't be surprised. It's not at all like the other regions. They're governed by the Representatives, whereas the capital still requires more direct ruling. It didn't help that your father retired, leaving that seat open and no one to advocate for the city capital proper. Many things that were already addressed in the smaller regions still haven't been addressed here. It makes sense that the populace doesn't trust any political member of the cabinet, even if you aren't one yet."

“Yes, I know my father wasn’t popular for his work, Kouren makes sure to remind me every day,” she muttered, fork turning over and over in her palm. Yona had heard it many times before; it was a blessing her father had retired. He had no interest in making tough decisions that would have him unfavorable towards the members of the cabinet and often let them completely decide for him. It was one of the reasons nothing was accomplished now. Even the oldest members, Guen-Tae Lee and Joo-Doh Han were accustomed to doing whatever they pleased. It made sense that they couldn’t come to an agreement with that history. Still, Yona thought to herself, she was here to build her own legacy not to repair her fathers. Straightening in her chair, she continued her verbal assault. 

"Regardless, you're part of the problem," she continued, recommencing her attack at the air in front of his chest in a manner that lacked any true ill intent. "I know you're popular in the cabinet but that's no excuse to create stalemates in the laws we're trying to pass. These people need more tenant laws! There’s no way to afford to live in the city, even if they work in it. They shouldn’t have to travel beyond regions in order to find housing or employment!"

Soo-Won sighed, pushing aside his already cleared dishes to the side of their small table. Hauling up his messenger bag, he pulled out a leather portfolio that was placed neatly on the table before returning to his half-finished coffee mug. "If I voted to approve every law that came from your team's mouth it would look like I'm favoring you," he replied slowly as if carefully testing the effect of his words on her mood. 

Yona immediately lit up like a firecracker, dropping the fork as her hands slapped the surface of the table. Her polished heels clacked loudly against the smooth wooden floor as she stood, startling the baker behind the counter but she didn’t really care anymore. "How can you say that when all our other Representatives clearly favor others outside the cabinet too? This is never going to be impartial, we have to-"

"Alright, settle down," Soo-Won chided, a defeated smile spreading across his face. He laughed softly, covering her hands with his."I wasn’t intending to start an argument and you're making that face again. It's starting to unsettle our neighbors."

She didn't need a mirror to know he meant the infuriated glare that often snuck onto her face whenever she got too heated. Yoon had once lovingly described it as “being assaulted with hot coals but with a glare”. Feeling her cheeks grow hot, Yona plopped back into her seat, ignoring the stares she'd earned as payment for her short tirade. Eyes glued to the teacup before her, she began stuffing cake into her mouth in an attempt to deflect her embarrassment. "Fine."

"You know that the other Representatives already think you've got your fingers in the cabinet decisions already, don't you?"

That was news to her, even if she wouldn’t have put it past Lili’s father to consider her the bad influence in his daughter’s radicalized life. She smiled furtively into her cup at the memory of Joon-Gi’s paling face, watching as Lili ran to greet him covered in the dirt from their illegal community garden. He still refused to speak with Yona when they crossed paths in the capitol building, convinced that it was Yona’s idea to start the garden. Given that the garden has remained despite not being city-sanctioned, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to hear that it was Joon-Gi spreading rumors about her overextending influence. Still, Yona peered up from the porcelain cup, seeking answers from Soo-Won's poker face. "What do you mean?"

"Tae-Jun."

She frowned. "I haven't talked to him since…the fountain incident."

"I'm aware," Soo-Won continued, taking a small sip from his larger coffee mug. He reached up to push his sandy hair out from in front of him but Yona caught herself doing so first, torso extending over the tiny table and pushing his long hair off to the side. He smiled warmly before continuing. "Even before that moment, he made impressive speeches about your team's concerns and even tried to pass resolutions to a few. You may not speak to him directly, but he is paying attention to what you do. It seems you inspire something in him."

Yona fell silent as she took another bite of her lavender cake, slowly chewing on the spongey bread as she considered her next question. “Do I inspire you?”

Soo-Won grinned this time before burying his coffee mug against his mouth. “You frighten me. You don’t take no for an answer and more than once I’ve had to pay for your bail. It would make me happier if you could decide whether or not you want to be an activist or a politician because you won’t be either at this rate.”

Satisfied, she leaned back into her chair once more, fork abandoned against her plate. Now for her second question. Instead of dwelling on all the reasons why Tae-Jun might be trying to curry favor with her, she poked the metaphorical bear that was their relationship. "Soo-Won, did you know Tae-Jun liked me before he confessed?"

"I had an inkling," he replied, fingers wrapping around his mug comfortably as he set it aside in favor of the leather portfolio in front of him. It was filled to the brim with legal pad notes and legal requests that had to be skimmed before his next meeting. Yona contemplated tapping his mug with her fork until he was sufficiently annoyed enough to look at her directly but she knew him well enough to be guaranteed nothing outside of apathy. Ultimately she decided on letting his aggravating work ethic go and centered her focus back on her questions.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You can handle yourself, it's not my place to tell you how to act."

"No, but…" she chewed her bottom lip nervously. "I’m just confused. I’m not saying I want you furiously jealous but I was hoping for...something?"

Soo-Won peered up from his notes briefly, stoic eyes taking in her increasingly flustered state. "I don't quite know how you would want me to react, considering it didn't seem like a pleasant experience. Honestly, I thought you would want to forget it."

"I do—I just—I—ugh," she groaned, hands reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. "I guess wish you had told the cabinet we were dating. We've been dating a while now and I thought you would have said something but you haven't. And don't  _ dare _ say you don't want to show favoritism!" She added quickly, noting the words already forming on his lips. Refuted, Soo-Won smiled softly, mouth closing as he listened to her complaints. "I like you a lot Soo-Won, but sometimes it feels like you choose to be with me because it's convenient. I'm there all the time, you wouldn't have to go anywhere to pick up a girl, and we work similar hours so you don't have to worry about her feeling neglected."

He nodded pensively, pen dancing as it tapped against the legal pad. “So, in not reacting to this, I’ve made you feel as though I don’t care about you, is that it?”

“Romantically speaking, yes.” She could feel the heat burning off her cheeks already. Ugh, this was not how she’d intended for the afternoon to go. She still had half the day to go—it would not go well if she’d accidentally talked herself out of a relationship. “I just feel...convenient.”

"What would you like me to do?"

"Invite me to your place," she blurted before her brain caught up to her mouth. Her whole face felt hot by now, eyes watering out of embarrassment as she shrunk in her chair. There was no going back now. "I just...I would like to spend the night…with you."

Soo-Won stared at her blankly, eyes blinking slowly as he processed her request. Just as painstakingly slow, he spoke. "To be clear, you're asking to sleep with me, correct?"

She immediately shook her head furiously, internally dying over the sheer heat emitted from her skin. “I mean—It doesn’t matter to me, I’d be fine if you made me sleep on the couch--I just feel like you prefer to see me rather than date me if that makes sense—I don’t really know what I want, just forget what I said—”

Closing his portfolio, Soo-Won sighed, straightening in his chair before replying. 

"I think we need to talk," He began slowly, clearing his throat several times as if it would wipe away the pink that was beginning to grow on his ears. A pit was forming in her stomach, threatening to spit her cake and tea back out. Her feet itched with the unbearable desire to run far from here, where his next words would not reach her. But she couldn’t move, frozen in place as if in shock. “I don’t mind if you stay over but I have been putting off this conversation because it...isn’t something I need to advertise on a regular basis, particularly in my position.”

She waited patiently for the metaphorical shoe to drop.

“I’m not interested in a relationship beyond the platonic.”

Somewhere beyond her, she could hear someone drop a plate, shattering into what was sure to be a million pieces. Still, it felt nothing like crack that formed in her chest. “Oh?” She mustered, blinking rapidly as her heart skipped a beat, mulling over his words. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" She asked stupidly after a moment, voice soft to avoid cracking. It was bad enough she couldn't stop herself from asking idiotic questions that she already knew the answer to. Thankfully Soo-Won seemed to know she needed some kindness.

"I do like you Yona, truly.” he murmured, hands hesitating over the legal pad as if they itched with the urge to grasp hers. Regardless, they did not move forward. “It wasn’t something I was very sure about prior to meeting you, even until recently. I would rather not do this now but I also don’t wish to lead you on. If you’re seeking a romantic and sexual relationship, I am just not interested in having one. I would be happy to remain as your friend if that is what you want. But I’m worried that if you come to my place, your feelings will not be reciprocated, whatever your intentions might be.”

She nodded hollowly, her body like a marionette whose string was manipulated by someone other than her. Soo-Won shifted uncomfortably before turning to look at his watch as if he could not bear to look her in the eyes. All she could do was seek more answers in his sea-green eyes, suddenly afraid that if she blinked he would dissipate before her, gone forever. “Ah...we need to go…” he trailed off, eyes darting from his watch to Yona to legal pad, then back to the watch. Shuffling around to unpack his phone from his back pocket, he quickly tapped out a message before looking back at Yona. She jumped when he reached across the table to grasp her hand tightly, unable to stop blinking. “Don’t go back to work. I called in for you. Go home. We can talk again later.”

He pulled away, ripping her out from shock. Hands fumbling to grasp at the sleeve of his pale blue button-down, she panicked. “Wait—”

Soo-Won waited patiently, despite how his possession threatened to spill off the table, precariously balanced on the leather portfolio. “Yes?” he asked softly. 

“Are you breaking up with me?”

Soo-Won didn’t respond, but she could see the small tell she’d learned to recognize over their friendship. A hint of a frown, the slightest tension in his hands, the way his back stiffened just enough to be noticeable. Yona forced a bright smile, releasing his sleeve. “It’s fine. I’m glad you were able to come to terms with what you want. We don’t need to talk.”

“Yona, I really am sorry, I had no idea until—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted, completely certain that whatever would pass his lips next would do nothing except harm her. She shook her head, the fake smile still cemented in a way she wasn’t sure would ever erode. “I’m glad you were able to figure out who you are. Even if that means it’s not with me. Really, I’m happy for you.”

“Yona…”

“Go to work Soo-Won. You’re an important person after all,” she teased. “It wouldn't be proper for you to be late.”

Yona watched silently as Soo-Won gathered his belongings, waving weakly as he walked away, the smile still plastered across her face. As soon as he departed the building and turned the corner that shared their shop window, she released a loud and heavy sigh. She leaned back against the chair, head rolling onto the uncomfortable metal curvature of her chair as her hands reached up to cup her face. She laughed feebly, ignoring the prick of tears against her palms.

How did she manage to ruin such a good thing?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, interrupting her misery and reigning her back to the present. Blindly reaching for her jacket pocket, she fiddled around until the phone came loose into her hand. Pulling the screen to her still rolled back head, she stared. A text from Yoon blared up at her, explaining in short terms that he had switched shifts and was heading home to sleep before working through a late night. She groaned, lurching forward to press her forehead against the table, her empty dishes clinking as she made contact with the surface. If Yoon was going home, there was no way she could go, not when she was already considering how to explain to him that she’d managed to end her own relationship in the span of ten minutes  _ during _ a date. Not to mention, that regardless of how angry and uncaring he came off, Yoon genuinely cared about her enough to stay up and listen to her cry. 

“I’ll never get over the guilt if he stays awake,” she muttered to no one in particular. 

“Miss, are you done with those plates?”

Yona jumped, turning to face the source of the voice. A tall young baker stood in front of her, whom she recognized as one of the owners of the store. Cerulean eyes examined her closely, though his words said nothing of the concern behind his tone. “If you’re done, I can take them.”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, rushing to stand up. The chair clattered loudly behind her, metal feet rattling as it bounced on the floor. She winced slightly, hurrying to gather the mess that was her belongings into her arms. Her phone bounced to the floor, nearly causing her to bash her head against the man’s as she bent down to retrieve it. His longer arms won out the race, politely placing it on the table for her to take. “I’m fine. Thank you for checking in, but I’m fine and I’m leaving.”

“You look upset,” he pressed, brow furrowing as he continued examining her. “I thought that he might have been lying, trying to flirt with you even though you were clearly on a date, but I was wrong. Are you sure you’re alright? Do you want me to call someone for you?”

Yona was so sick of having people call her friends for her. 

Not bothering to seek out the obviously poor timed flirt beyond the waiter, she brushed him off as kindly as she could muster. “I’m fine, I was just leaving anyway.” Scooping her belongings into the small messenger bag she carried around for work, Yona pushed past him and walked out the door.

And so she walked. Her feet trudged forward, ignoring the promise of angry blisters in the morning that was sure to follow, pushing her someplace far from there. Far from the curious eyes of the other customers, away from the direction of the capitol building where Shin-Ah and Zeno would surely worry she wasn’t there to pick up a late evening drink, some location where she could just sit alone with her thoughts and pick apart every awful word that had escaped her mouth. Thankfully there were perks to working in the middle of their country capital city, one of which was a large park stationed in the middle of the downtown district. The minute she journeyed across her last crosswalk, she all but gasped in relief as her feet kicked off her stiff heels. Burying her toes into the long overgrown blades of grass, she dropped her bag, shoulders slumping as her head tilted heavenward before letting out a melancholy sigh. 

There she stayed for an indiscriminate amount of time, eventually melting into an outstretched puddle over the patch of grass, bag, phone, and shoes discarded beside her. Honestly, she thought after listening to the clocktower sing the passing of another hour, it was a miracle no one had stolen her belongings yet. With no desire to head home and force some tears out over some comfort food, she remained sprawled out on the green, indifferent as to whether her skirt had risen up above her knees and how dirty her sheer ivory blouse must be. Closing her eyes, she let the sound of the belltower soothe and lull her into a daydream.

Her daydream was interrupted by her ever vibrating phone.

She’d been willing to ignore it up until this point, what with great emotions at play, but the sun was starting to fall below the tips of the tree lines. With summer approaching, the light casting so low could only mean she’d spent her entire afternoon here. Some foreign part of her had remembered to turn off notifications before collapsing in the park, which meant the only noise that would go through at this point would be a preset alarm.

In other words, the buzzing was a brazen reminder of her weekly appointments with Hak.

Groaning, she palpated the ground blindly until she managed to smack the button that shut off the notification. Making a slow effort to get up and resume appearing like a reasonably put together person, she began the short walk to the gym. At least she’d picked a gym close to work, either when she helped with Tao’s planing and when she worked as an intern for the Representatives. Heels clung in her left hand and her bag in the other, she crossed the street and headed for the gym just one block beyond her. 

Surely she could get through this. Hak and Jae-Ha were always going on about how this was a form of stress relief and god only knew how much she needed to relieve some stress right now. It’s not like she could talk to Yoon about it—he sorely needed sleep if he was covering a graveyard shift at the hospital. She held Tao to such high regard that Yona found herself realizing she would never forgive herself if she went to Tao of all people for breakup support. Lili was a phenomenal friend in all things romantic but would likely go and kick Soo-Won’s ass in the middle of a diplomatic meeting, a thought that brought a meager smile to her lips but sobered her regardless. It was better to avoid creating more drama, especially knowing that most all the Representatives had poor opinions of her for the time being. That left Shin-Ah—who bless his heart, would not have anything helpful to say—and then Zeno. There was something that felt philosophically wrong about asking a recent widow to be a shoulder to cry on over a relationship that apparently had nothing romantic to build on in the first place. She shivered involuntarily at the thought before pressing her emotions back into the safe that was her chest, pulling open the door to the gym and padding her way to the locker room without so much as a glance towards Hak and Gi-Gan standing at the tiny counter. No, she could work this out on her own, even if it meant doing it through a workout.

Once in the locker room and seated at the bench with her stored duffel bag, she took a quick moment to assess the dirt on her feet, taking a paper towel and running water over it briefly before using the sopping wet napkin to clean her soles. Using another towel to pat her toes dry, she reached for her change of clothes. Stripping off her work attire with ease, she began the monotonous routine of pulling on her fresh outfit, running through the facts one article at a time.

Grey square-patterned leggings ran up her thighs as she discarded her skirt, compressing her legs in a hug like an old friend.

Soo-Won did not actually love her. 

Bright pink sports bra replaced her thin lacey bralette, stretching and reforming to cling to her torso. 

Soo-Won had not been avoiding her because he didn’t want sex or because he was embarrassed to date her. He simply didn’t want to date anyone romantically. 

White cowl back tank top slipped over her head and slung comfortably over her shoulders. 

Soo-Won didn’t hate her. He simply did not love her.

Grey ankle socks slipped onto her chilling feet before tucking into her pillowy sneakers. 

Soo-Won wanted to be her friend.

She laughed bitterly, tightening the knots that held her feet snuggly in her shoes. Reaching up and winding her long hair into a thick ponytail, she exhaled and inhaled twice for propriety’s sake, knowing that Hak would likely be awaiting her in the middle of the gym. Shoving her bags into her reserved locker, she slammed the lock shut and marched out of the locker room, barreling straight into Hak. 

Mortified, she backed up into the locker room walkway, too stunned to form words. She didn’t need to; Hak had plenty of strength left in his words.

“Hey, are you alright? You look pissed.” Hak peered down, examining her outfit as if it would speak the words she couldn’t. “I wouldn’t ask but Gi-Gan said you look like a storm about to thunder off and Jae-Ha texted to say you were upset.”

This baffled her. “What? Why would he say that?”

“I guess he saw you at some bakery nearby? Said it looked like you got in a fight but left before he could ask.”

Instantly the gears clicked in her head, linking the cerulean eyes that had been pestering her earlier as the mediating party she hadn’t been privy to until now. Yona was _so_ _sick_ of having people call her friends for her. “Who’s the waiter?” she growled, pressing between Hak and the wall as she walked towards the weights. “I didn’t think you had friends outside the gym. Shin-Ah and Zeno don’t count, by the way, they’re nice to everyone.”

Ugh. This break up was doing awful things to her mood. She would make it up to her friends later, even if they weren’t around to know she vaguely used them as an insult.

She could hear Hak’s growing irritation through his response, feet plodding on behind her as she settled into the weight training section. She gestured wildly at the weights, waiting for his guidance. “You’re my trainer—tell me where to start!” she snapped. 

He frowned deeply but pointed to a machine off to the left side of the room, a thick rope looped around in an infinite twist. “Thirty seconds, pulling.” He followed her tentatively based on his step and she could  _ feel _ the hesitancy in his movements but she didn’t really care at this point, opting to wrap her hands around firmly before launching into the activity at full strength. Hak didn’t make his usual note of “requiring warm-ups”, but she was certain he was still frowning when he spoke again.

“He’s not my friend,” he continued, now moving to position himself in front of her. His eyes studied the watch held up high on his wrist but Yona was more concerned with her breathing than she was in seeking out how irritated she’d made him. “I told you a while ago; the waiter there is the guy Jae-Ha’s been trying to date. Kija, I think? He goes there every day for lunch. Flirts a lot, asks him out, and gets rejected. Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are that he even noticed anyone else while he was there.”

“Lucky me,” she grunted, exhaling loudly as she accentuated each word. Hak gave her a curt nod, noting the end of her thirty seconds. She gasped, releasing the rope to place her hands on her knees, puffing loudly. “I hate that rope.”

“Everyone does,” he replied, undisturbed as he noted her progress on his clipboard. “Do you want to give lifting another try today?”

Yona looked at him curiously, brow still furrowed deeply from the exertion of that awful rope. “Are you sure? I really messed up last time.”

“We’ll be trying something different and I’ll be there to help the whole time,” he explained, leading her to a nearby bench. A bar and round weights lay beside it, carefully selected. Yona followed diligently, though caught off guard. He’d prepared for her. “We can practice a bench press, no weights then we’ll add some towards the end when you’re comfortable. Deal?”

“You’re actually going to teach me,” she mused, fingers grazing the cool leather of the bench. Seating herself slowly, she looked back at him, bemused. “I didn’t think you cared.”

Hak huffed, lifting the bar with ease before shoving it towards her chest. She caught the bar, momentarily surprised at the hefty metal in her grasp. “Don’t get used to it. I just don’t like it when my clients faint. Makes me look bad.”

She grinned for the first time since that afternoon, only to have the grin fade almost instantly upon remembering  _ why _ she hadn’t genuinely smiled for hours. Sobered and eager to get on with her lesson, she quickly laid down on the bench and allowed Hak to instruct her. He’d pulled up his own bench to demonstrate the appropriate posture and how to hold the bar without putting unnecessary stress on her back or shoulders. While she practiced balancing the bar and bringing it to her chest without losing grip and choking herself in the process, she allowed Hak’s hands to gently guide her arms to the perfect position.

And yet, despite her excitement at trying something new—-the prospect of being strong enough to attempt something new—she could not focus on the task at hand. It must have shown on her face, given the way Hak’s own expression slowly ran from educative to off-put before finally landing on genuine concern. Carefully extracting the bar from her hands, he stood over her taking in the scene before letting out an exasperated sigh and taking a seat on the bench beside her. “Are...you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem alright,” he pressed, however awkward the words sounded when they escaped his mouth. She rolled her head to watch him, confused by his sudden change of character. This was a far sight different compared to the explosive Hak she’d encountered over the weekend. Then he spoke again, as if revitalized by some thought she would never hear. “I know you said you were fine, but Jae-Ha insisted you got into a fight with some guy at the bakery and Shin-Ah texted to ask if you had canceled your appointment, so whether or not you plan on enlightening me, you should at least consider talking to your friends before coming here to work out your feelings.”

Yona was _so_ **_sick_** of having people call her friends for her. Not that Hak truly counted as a friend, more of an acquaintance but the fact remained that the interconnected network of their makeshift-family was becoming a nuisance the more time she spent talking to him. Infuriated and well-past her boiling point, Yona snapped. 

“I got dumped okay? You can go ahead and tell them I didn’t get into an argument, I talked myself out of a relationship with a guy who apparently didn’t love me in the first place and I never noticed.”

Hak sat dumbfounded, cobalt eyes widening with shock before slowly narrowing what she could only interpret as horror. But to what? The damp wet streak of an escaped tear provided the answers sought, even if it wasn’t the answer she wanted. Suddenly struck with the gravity of her day, Yona burst out laughing. Her chest heaved with laughter until it quickly declined into a heave for air, a gross sob escaping her throat as she rolled her arms to shield her face from the skylights and any spectators. Every carefully measured piece she’d stacked inside of her since lunch fell apart, gushing out with the salty tears that spilled past her forearms and onto the weight bench. Somewhere beyond her awful wailing, she felt Hak tentatively pat her head in what he probably thought was a comforting gesture. 

“Um...I hate to ask, but...could you not have your breakdown in the middle of the room?” He asked softly as if concerned his words would only incite more tears. “Gi-Gan is looking at me like I made you cry.”

Throwing him a nasty glare that she knew would utterly be defeated through the sheer volume of tears and snot on her face, Yona rolled up off her back, sniveling pitifully. Her bangs stuck to her sweat-drenched forehead and feeling the tears well up with renewed force, she raised her hands up to bury her face. Why hadn’t she just gone home?

“Oh.” He sounded genuinely surprised that she’d considered his request. She could barely see past the tears, but the sheepishness in his voice was still clear to her ears. “Thanks. That’s not really better but okay.” 

He continued patting her head consolingly, eventually settling into a slow head rub that was most definitely ruining her ponytail. It didn’t matter to her so much, not when she was so concentrated on the raw pain in her veins and the taste of her own tears coating her lips. Eventually, she managed to compose herself well enough to sit up completely, sniffling loudly as she pulled her tank top up to wipe her face. “Sorry,” she mumbled, fists rubbing furious circles around her eyes. Any makeup that morning she’d put on earlier was surely a disaster by now, makeup she’d selected carefully in lieu of the date she’d planned that afternoon. The date she would no longer have again.

She wailed again. Hak winced beside her, hand hesitating over the crown of her head before finally coming down to his lap once more. “This isn’t what Jae-ha and I had in mind when we said you can treat exercise like stress relief,” he clarified, surely watching her as she attempted to wipe her face a second time. “Why’d you even come here if you got dumped? Shouldn’t you have gone home?”

“Wanted stress relief.” She muttered weakly, sniffing one last time.

“Well if you don’t mind crying, I guess this works.”

Yona glared at him through bleary eyes, hands dropping to fist on her thighs, allowing the full extent of her anger to shine through. “Are you telling me that you’d be okay if you burst into tears every time you slept around with Jae-ha?”

A firm peach blush ran up his neck before Hak scowled and looked away. “No.”

“Then shut up and let me cry.” She grumbled. “I don’t want to talk about it with Shin-Ah or Zeno and I can’t go home.”

“Why not?”

“My roommate is sleeping—he’s a nurse. He needs sleep.” She groaned, rolling back onto the padded bench in defeat. “Just give me the bar so we can keep practicing. I want to be able to do this by myself next time.”

Hak huffed in displeasure but handed the bar back again, graciously remaining silent as she burst into a fresh wave of tears after each time she completed a press. Eventually, she finished the practice set, her cheeks and eyes raw from her furious scrubbing. Hak sighed tiredly beside her. “We’re done for today,” he noted, pointing at the clock on the wall. To her horror, he wasn’t simply escorting her away. She really had just spent the majority of her scheduled appointment blubbering away in public. This day really could not get any worse. “You should go change.”

Defeated, she set the bar back in Hak’s hands, the weight of the metal barely sinking in his grip as it had for hers. Noting his lack of reaction, she peered up curiously. “What is it?”

He made no expression as the words left his mouth. “Do you want to come over?”

She blinked as if her blurry vision were the fault in her hearing, not the handful of hydrated brain cells she still had left. “Excuse me?” she managed, voice increasing in pitch with each syllable. 

“Do you want to come over?” he repeated, looking more and more like himself as he spoke, steely facade returning over time. “You were my last client for the day and I don’t have anywhere to be. You did say you can’t go home and according to Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah, I owe you an apology for going off on you last weekend. So this is my apology, I guess.”

Silently, Yona considered her options. Her coffee crew and home were unavailable, that much was certain. Now that she was bawling, Lili seemed like a worse choice. Tao was completely off the table and while she didn’t consider Hak a friend per se, he was definitely a solid choice in her current crisis. Making peace with her decision (however forced it felt), she nodded firmly.

“I have two demands,” she began seriously, hands levering her weight as she leaned forward. “One, we get pizza for dinner. I don’t care if you order in or we pick it up on the way there, but it must be smothered in cheese and have at least one vegetable. I refuse to feel disgusting tomorrow morning.”

Hak made a quiet grunt of affirmation. “What’s the other demand?”

She smiled. Yoon would be so displeased tomorrow.

“I need to borrow your bathroom and some scissors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yona, very serious: I'm going to shave my head in your bathroom, thank you very much for understanding.  
> Hak, equally as serious: Please don't.
> 
> I'm not promising you smut in the next chapter because the will of the Google Doc will probably result in me writing it in a chapter after I expected it. This chapter was emotionally taxing. Or maybe writing the next chapter only 3 days after the last update was. I'm willing to say it was the writing process, not the actual physical exhaustion. 
> 
> Still worth.


	5. What is compromise, really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer: experiences are not universal, therefore most of these hot garbage relationship disasters are unfortunately based off my own experiences
> 
> Yona gets a haircut and takes the opportunity to cut some relationships from her life, albeit unwillingly.

"I don't understand why a haircut is necessary, let alone why it has to happen in my bathroom" Hak commented dryly, watching yet another lock of the vibrant red drop into his bath mat. 

They'd spent a good two hours between the journey to his apartment with all the necessary goods in tow, taking painfully public (but necessary) breaks for Yona when she would tear up at the mere mention of Soo-Won. Not that Hak went out of his way of bringing up her ex; Yona seemed utterly incapable of going more than a few minutes without nervously talking through her situation. Aside from her tear stricken face, they'd somehow uneventfully made it back to his apartment with no pizza, an absurd amount of snacks (most of them selected by Hak himself), and Yona furiously attacking her own head with a pair of scissors in the middle of his tiny bathroom. She sighed in defeat, scissors dropping as she ran one free hand through the haphazardly cut back side. She didn't answer his question. Hak stared at the mountainous volume of hair that lay on his bathroom floor, silently debating whether to bring up that he only had small trash cans or letting Yona figure that out by herself. Listening to the quiet testing snips of his scissors and her soft sounds of distaste as she reached for yet another elusive lock at the back of her head, he opted for a different approach. 

“Just give me the scissors, I’ll fix the back for you.”

She jumped, eyes wide in the mirror. Had she forgotten he was there? “Are you sure?” she asked in a shaky voice that told him yes, she had entirely forgotten whose bathroom she stood in.

“You’re making a mess. People are going to get the wrong idea if they found out I took you home and you came out looking like some crazed witch from the mountains.”

She huffed, cheeks puffing comically in distaste but she handed the scissors back all the same. Easily stepping over the giant red clump in the middle of his tiny floor, Hak took up a comfortable stance behind her and began snipping at the elusive ends. After a few moments of silence and when Yona finally felt comfortable enough to pull out her phone to browse through the series of messages she’d been ignoring since she got there, she finally spoke. 

“You’re surprisingly good at this you know,” she mused, eyes flickering up once towards the mirror to give a cursory glance before falling back to the screen. “I wouldn’t have thought of you as someone who knew how to cut hair.”

Still not the answer he has originally requested but if she was determined to deflect then who was he to judge. “And you still let me do this?” He questioned, waving the scissors in a wild circle. The gaze she cast him through the mirror told him she could see through his charade.

“It was either let you cut my hair and hope for the best or I walk home looking like a witch apparently,” she grumbled.

“The community center does a lot of different work,” he explained calmly, examining the shortened raspberry tress before moving onto the next. “Sometimes people need meals, sometimes they need clean clothes and a shower. A haircut is a pretty common request too. Not everyone has the luxury of getting what they need, when and where they need it.”

“That’s true,” she murmured, phone sinking as her hands settled on the sink’s basin. “So you cut hair then?”

“I cut hair,” he repeated, sinking into the monotony of his task. “I cut Zeno’s hair at one point. Shin-Ah’s too. Jae-Ha won’t let me near him though.”

He could hear her fingers tapping against the phone case, nails clicking when she accidentally brushed the porcelain sink bowl. Sighing, he sought out her eyes in the mirror. Bright violets stared back at him, curiosity evident in every falsely innocent blink. He sighed. “What do you want to know about me?”

Yona beamed and it was only due to his foresight of placing a hand firmly on the crown of her head that she didn’t cause him to accidentally stab her in the neck. “Tell me more about the community center and living here! You grew up here, right? I lived on the edge of our borders, nearing Xing—it’s how I ended up friends with Kouren and Tao—I don’t know much about living in Kouka, honestly. I was only able to move here recently.”

“I can tell,” Hak replied, releasing her once he felt confident that she wouldn’t cause another unforeseen accident. He was lucky he hadn’t misplaced his foot earlier and cracked his skull by slipping on her untamed clippings. “You don’t have that same beat down energy everyone else has around here. But I’m not surprised. I know who your father is.”

Almost instantly, Yona’s reflection fell flat, head dropping slightly beneath his hold. Tucking one hand under her chin, he lifted it up again. Posture fixed, her gaze remained distant. “Are you also going to tell me he’s the reason Kuuto is failing right now? That he was incompetent and his early retirement wasn’t early enough?”

Hak combed his fingers through her hair slowly, working to undo some of the many knots her curls were bound to have after her initial cut. “No,” he answered calmly, thumb and index finger rubbing small circles into a lock until the knot undid itself. Brushing excess hair off her shoulder, he patted her bob twice for good measure. “He wasn’t popular for his politics but I can’t blame all of the fallings on him. Kuuto deserved several good leaders, not just one. If anything I’m more annoyed that we kept the rest of them.”

“They aren’t all bad. Some of them still listen, if you know what to say,” she replied, hands now discarding her phone in favor of touching her hair. It flounced in her hands, still soft and airy from the recent cut. She smiled widely at him in the reflection but Hak was ready to be done with the disaster that was his bathroom. Stepping back over the now larger than life pile of hair, he wandered into the main living area that housed everything he needed. There was surely a broom and pail somewhere in his house. Surely.

“I’m not really the type of person who likes to pick and choose what words to say,” he shouted as he dug through the cabinets of his kitchen, despite being only a few feet away from the bathroom. Living in a studio had its perks when it came to costs of living (or at least, it had before the rent increases) but an abundance of storage space was not one of them. If he had any hope of locating the tiny pail and handheld broom, it would be through searching in his kitchen or in the bathroom. “If Kouka’s representatives want to be liked by the populace they help govern, then they should listen to what’s being asked of them in the first place. They shouldn’t have to voice things politely in order to be heard.”

“I agree—what on earth are you looking for?” she exclaimed at last. Hak pulled out from the cabinet and slipped past her, back into the bathroom. Opening the cabinet doors under the sink, he triumphantly emerged with the items he sought. Yona peered at him curiously from the doorway, watching as he began scooping the hair into the small blue pail. “You could have just asked me to look.”

“You don’t strike me as someone who cleans.”

She sputtered beside him. Cleaning up hair with a tiny brush like this was a mistake, he thought briefly as the curly strands began clumping up more and more in between the bristles. “I can clean!”

“You were the daughter of a rich politician who didn’t live in Kuuto. You demanded to use my bathroom, to make a mess in a house that’s not yours, and didn’t even offer to clean it up.”

“You didn’t give me a chance to!”

“Spoiled.” The word rolled off his tongue so naturally, he had to smile. Standing there red-faced and smudged eyeliner, looking about three seconds away from stamping her feet and storming off, there was no other word that truly fit her appearance. To his amusement, she took a deep breath and relaxed, even though the fire in her eyes continued to flicker. 

“I am not spoiled,” she muttered angrily as she knelt down beside him, scooping up the hair with her bare hands and tossing it into the trash can. "My life was—”

“If you’re about to end that with ‘comfortable’, you’re just proving my point.” Hak interrupted, ignoring as she tossed a handful of hair at his face. He brushed it away easily, scooping his own fistful of hair before gently slapping his half-open palm into her forehead. “Stop making a mess in my apartment.”

She chuckled behind his palm, brow and bridge of her nose wrinkling against his fingers. 

“So, are you finally going to tell me why you felt the need for a haircut?” He pressed, taking advantage of their lighthearted conversation. “You did just birth another red-haired creature in my home.”

The laugh wrinkles fell into a frown, Yona reaching up to push his hand away. “Can’t I just cut my hair without being judged?”

“Yes, but I get the feeling this was more about detaching than it was about feeling better.”

She scowled feebly, falling back on her rear and leaning into the beige wall behind her. The hair he’d pressed to her face fluttered back to the floor. “How’d you know?”

“You’re easy to read,” he replied coolly, taking the abandoned hair back and placing it into the bin. “Given how much you complained about him the other day, I know you really liked him. Frustrated, but you liked him. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out you’re just trying to move on.”

She sighed, fingers splayed out on the cool floor, toying with the small strands of hair that tickled at her fingertips. “Soo-Won told me he wasn’t interested in me romantically. Or sexually. I’m not sure honestly.”

“That sounds like something you should have talked with him, not me.” He could basically hear her wringing her fingers with the amount of hair she was squeezing. Reaching in between her clenched fingers, Hak worked to throw away the last remnants of hair strewn across his floor before settling into a seat across from her. His legs touched hers as they sat uncomfortably, pressed together in this tiny space. Yona sighed again.

“I know I just...I was hurt. And I didn’t want to hear anything else. So I made him leave. He even offered to talk later, but I wasn’t ready to hear it. It was stupid. I’m even the one who forced it out of him. I feel awful.”

"Aren't you mad at him?"

"No, he can't help how he feels, in the same way, I can't force him to feel the way I want," Yona replied wistfully, red-rimmed eyes now glued to the floor. Hak was certain the only reason she wasn’t crying was due to the severe dehydration she had to be feeling at this point. Extending a hand, he hoisted her up in tandem, leading her out to the kitchen where he pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge. She nodded her appreciation before continuing. “I should call him since he offered to talk but...I’m not ready yet.”

Hak nodded solemnly, watching as she guzzled down the water with as much elegance as a heron swallowing a fish whole. There was something endearing about her lack of manners, despite her constant refinement when it came to her attire. He reached for the unpacked bag of snacks that sat abandoned on the counter, quietly pulling out one item at a time. He could save the bag for later, perhaps to throw away the remaining clumps of hair he was sure to find throughout the week. “What’s the plan for tonight then? Other than crying yourself out and destroy my bathroom floor?”

She frowned, smacking him with the empty bottle as she sat it down on the counter in lieu of the powdered donuts he’d unearthed from the bag. The wrapper crinkled loudly as she set to work opening the pack. “Hide from my roommate until I can go back home and cry in peace,” she grumbled, stuffing the snow-white donut into her mouth. “What about you? From what I saw today, half of your non-committed relationship is about to become really committed to someone else.”

“I know,” Hak replied calmly, opting for a few mandarins he’d selected himself. At some point that evening she’d thank him for being more considerate about their diet and health, what with the bag being filled with mostly health-conscious snacks. Mostly. “Jae-Ha's always been like this, flinging from one person to the next. I'm not going to delude myself that it would be any different with me. I am surprised though. He might actually be serious about this one."

“What makes you say that?” Powdered sugar-coated her lips and chin, Hak noted with the urge to smile. An absolute lack of manners from someone supposedly so refined and well-brought-up. Or at least, that’s what the rumors had pointed to. Maybe he shouldn’t have bought into the rumors at all.

“He’s never kept up with flirting for this long. Usually, he picks someone to flirt with, and if they say no, he moves on. It’s unusual for Jae-ha to stick around that long.”

“Sorry if this is insensitive, but are you both into a polyamorous deal, or is it still what you called a ‘mutual, fluid, and temporary arrangement’.” She imitated quotes with powdered fingers, smirking past a cheek full of donut. Hak poked her fat cheek, causing her to sputter as the donut pushed back into the center of her mouth. 

“Don’t be jealous because I have a relationship and you don't,” he hummed, smirking as she fought to poke him back to no avail. “And no, like I said before it’s temporary. If he wants to bail for a monogamous relationship, he can.”

“So...friends with benefits.”

“Sure, you could call it that.”

“And if he asked to make the friend group...bigger?” She widened her arms out slightly as if she hadn’t gotten her point across the first time.

Hak shrugged. “I’d think about it, but probably not. It would depend on the person, I guess. I trust him if that’s what you’re asking.”

“But you don’t _like_ him.” The word drew out the same way it had throughout his pre-teen years, a slight pink rising to her cheeks as if she couldn’t fathom the idea of being with someone whom she wasn’t romantically interested in. 

“Why can’t you talk like an adult,” he critiqued, eyes narrowing with disapproval. Yona flushed an even pinker shade, opting to stuff more donut into her mouth. 

“Fine. Do you love him?”

“No.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t love me either,” Hak dismissed easily, fingers working to peel away the rind of the mandarin. “It’s not a relationship based on love, just mutual needs.”

Yona sighed, abandoning her donuts on the counter. Reaching out to the nearby fridge, she opened it to pull out yet another bottle of water. Her hands worked to unscrew the top but her eyes latched to the ceiling, deep in thought. “I wonder if I could commit to something like that. No sex mind you, just a purely platonic relationship. Soo-Won wants that, I think.”

“Is that what you want?” Hak pressed, popping a mandarin slice into her free hand before setting another into his mouth. 

"I could do it if I tried," Yona offered weakly, though her forced confidence didn’t reach her words. Even the mandarin in her hand dropped as she shrunk, eyeline falling to the floor. "Isn't that how these relationships are supposed to work? Compromise?"

"No," he refuted, slowly chewing through his slice. "You can compromise on when to move in together, where to go eat, and how to handle finances. If you're interested in one thing and he isn't, it's not likely you can compromise at all."

"But it's possible. Something could change one day," she chirped, peering up. Her lilac eyes bored into his, seeking an outside approval he could already feel would become troublesome. "Isn't that what you're saying?"

Hak sighed. "I'm not going to even try to talk you out of this. You're stupidly stubborn and it'll be a waste of my time."

"I'm not stubborn."

"Says the one who nearly split their head open out of spite not that long ago."

Yona's cheeks puffed in anger but she quickly let it go with a rushed exhale, turning away to hide her pout. "Fine, tell me what you meant."

"I'm not saying it's an impossible compromise," Hak began slowly, toying with the remaining mandarin slice between his fingers. He wasn’t sure why he was humoring her at this point when it was obvious she still had it bad for Soo-Won. For all he would say, she was more than likely to try and make up with him tomorrow. "I'm saying if you need to acknowledge that if you change your mind halfway through this, then you have to accept you'll be hurting more than one person in the arrangement."

Yona turned back slightly to face him, lips puckered in a tight frown. Finally, she spoke. "You know, for being younger than me you're awfully thoughtful and mature."

He settled for tossing the mandarin at her face. 

* * *

The rest of their evening was spent bickering about relationships (as it turned out Hak did enjoy Jae-Ha's company, even if his flirting was exhausting) and how to keep Yona from making an utter fool of herself when approaching Soo-Won. They didn’t get the opportunity to settle their argument before sleep overtook them both in the middle of some awful film on public television, both exhausted from a long day and collapsing to their body’s needs far too early in the evening. Any solution that might have arisen from their debate ended up not mattering, not when Yona awoke to her ringtone blasting underneath her ear the next morning, well past her forgotten alarms. 

Scrambling to answer the call as she registered the caller and time, Yona shott up, wincing as her lower back protested. Hak stirred at her feet, shoving them back to the floor and off his lap. At some point in the night, they’d fallen asleep on the floor, entwined between each other and Hak’s coffee table. "Yoon," she gasped, slapping the phone to her face in panic. "I'm awake."

" _Where are you?!_ " Yoon hissed from the other end of the line. She could all but imagine the fury painted on his face based solely on his tone. Anything he said next would be nothing compared to the scorn she’d face upon getting home. " _I got off my shift to a million texts from Shin-Ah saying you never came back from your lunch with Soo-Won yesterday! Even Tao called me! You haven't answered a single text from anyone! From what I can tell, you never came home either! So where are you?!_ "

"I'm so sorry—I'm at Hak's—my trainer's apartment. I fell asleep—oh no, I'm going to be so late for work—" she set the call to speakerphone, out of habit, not caring if Hak overheard the call in her sheer panic to find her bag. Spotting it tossed haphazardly over the tiny dinner table, she dove over the couch and began digging through for her business attire. Immediately stripping out of her shirt and leggings, she suddenly felt Hak’s eyes upon her, staring blankly as she stood clad in nothing but her underwear and sports bra. Beyond the couch and sudden thundering of her pulse, she could hear Yoon shouting again.

_"Why are you at your trainer's? Why didn't you come home?"_

"I really can't talk, I'm so late." She sputtered, somehow unable to force her limbs back into functioning. Hak was slowly turning the same shade of red she was certain was spread over her face. Their shock was interrupted by a small click at the door, the sound of a key unlocking the door. Frantically, Hak leaped over the couch and ran for the door, desperate to keep it shut. 

" _Why did you bother picking up if you can't talk_?" Yoon complained loudly, voice crackling over the line. 

The door cracked open. Jae-Ha calmly slipped inside, eyes still glued to his keys as he stepped into the room. "Hey Hak, do you want to go for a run? You won't believe it but I actually convinced that guy to go out with me—"

He paused, keys still in hand. Yona felt ready to dissolve into the carpet, watching in horror as Jae-Ha caught sight of her, yelping as Hak all but slammed the door back into his face. They stood in horror-stricken silence, eyes locked while the crackling of Yoon’s voice interrupted them again. 

" _Yona who was that? I swear if you did something stupid_ — _"_

"I'm fine Yoon," she cried out exasperatedly, finally hopping back to her phone as she frantically began slipping on her blouse. "I'll be home tonight. I promise I'll tell you everything then. Bye!"

She didn't wait to hear the slew of curses that was sure to flow before hanging up. Struggling to button her blouse neatly, she turned to avoid looking at Hak, not caring if her sports bra was visible through the sheer fabric. She could change again at work. Skirt shoved up violently, she set to work fixing her hair before recalling it was several inches shorter than it had been mere hours before. Thankfully she'd had the forethought to wash her face clean last night. Unfortunately, she did not bring spare makeup. She would just have to own up to the bags under her eyes.

Hak stared absently at the space above her, holding out a half-empty bag of their food collection. She snatched it and stuffed it into her duffle bag, face hot with embarrassment as she struggled to slip on her heels. "So uh, I'm going to work now. Thanks for having me over and dealing with my drama."

Hak laughed awkwardly, looking anywhere but her direction. "Anytime."

“I’ll uh text you later.”

She bolted past him and out the door, ignoring Jae-Ha’s loud snickering as she escaped. 

* * *

Yona had to give it to Hak; he was a strict trainer but if it weren't for him, she was certain she would have been more winded from the run to work. Lili was already awaiting her at the steps of the building, foot tapping impatiently as she caught her arm in an effort to run straight into the marbled halls. Protesting as she was dragged directly into the nearest restroom, Yona groaned. "Lili, I _know_ Yoon probably called you too and I _know_ I worried everyone but I'm late—"

"Shut up and switch clothes with me," Lili grumbled, the door barely closed behind them as she began stripping, already halfway out of her own blouse. Yona nodded furiously, not willing to fuel her friends' ire any further. 

"Lili, I—"

"Don't. I know." 

Yona felt her mouth snap shut.

"I asked Soo-Won where you went when he came back alone yesterday," she explained further, now working to swap out her pants for Yona's skirt. Never in her life had she been so grateful to have a friend that was relatively the same size. "He said you decided to go home early but couldn’t reach you. He’s the one who told us what happened."

Yona felt herself shrink inside the foreign clothes, suddenly embarrassed at her lack of restraint yesterday. "Lili, I… I'm sorry. I should have responded."

"I went to the gym and Jae-Ha said Hak went home early too. Just tell me this at least; did you sleep with him?"

"No!"

"That's a shame, I'm sure he would have been up for it," she replied calmly as if Yona's instantaneous blush did nothing to shame her candid response. Finally catching her appalled expression, Lili smirked. "Oh shut up, you wouldn't have been the first person to have a rebound. You can't pretend that showing up in day-old clothes looks good either. You're lucky I came and saved you."

She punctuated the last words with a tug of her own shirt collar, effectively straightening out any tucked fabric. Yona smiled weakly. "You're right. Thank you. I owe you one."

"Damn straight you do. Now go to work. We can talk later."

* * *

Work after that was…not uneventful. Word quickly spread between her friends about what had transpired and between running between buildings to cart important files and coffee around, it was only a matter of time before it came to a head with all of the Representatives pouring out of the building, Soo-Won lingering in the back. Spotting her from behind the crowd buried under coffee requests and their latest pile of requisitions, he waved her into the emptying conference room. Yona tried very hard to ignore the growing pit in her stomach as she walked past the others, speeding up her pace as Tae-Jun gave her a peculiar look. Doors closing behind her, she set the haphazard stack of requests on the nearest table before quickly wheeling around to make a dash for the exit.

"Yona, please wait."

Ah. If only his words held no power over her. And yet, here she was, heart racing over three mere words. A simple request. Painstakingly, she turned back to face him. He smiled warmly. It stung.

“You cut your hair,” he noted, eyes never leaving even as she shifted uncomfortably. “It suits you.”

“Is that all? I have other tasks to complete today.”

Staying had been a mistake. Soo-Won watched her with worried eyes, carefully attempting to take the swaying stack of requests from her hands.

"I would like to talk to you if that's alright?"

"Sure, but let me do that," she added hastily, snatching a coffee cup meant for Joon-Gi. The last thing she needed today was to upset Lili’s father further. He barely liked her as it stood. "It's my job anyway. No need for you to bother."

"Yona about what I said yesterday. I'm sorry if I upset you. I should have said something sooner."

"Did you know before we started dating?"

"Ah well… Not entirely, no."

"Then you have nothing to apologize for," she started, placing the last paper cup down with finality. "Unless you choose to date me out of pity."

"Of course not."

"Then…why did you?" Good God. There had to be a medal for digging as many holes as she had over the course of 24 hours.

Soo-Won smiled in his usual endearing fashion, eyes soft with kindness. She felt her heart skip a beat but quickly shoved the reaction deep into the pit in her belly, ignoring nausea that came with it. There was no room for that. He'd made himself very clear after all. "I do care for you Yona, please understand that. I simply want to leave it as we are now."

"So are you...aromatic or asexual? I'm just trying to understand here." She added hastily as if adding that last bit could force that smidge of hope back into its hole. 

"I'm not sure what answer to give quite yet," he replied calmly, though she could see the slight fidgeting of his fingers. "I do know that I don't expect you to stay, however. It wasn't something we discussed and you're well within your right to leave."

"I can wait," she blurted, nearly spilling the coffee beneath her hands in her rush to lean forward. Joon-Gi could hate her if it meant Soo-Won would stay. "I don't mind waiting. I can adjust for you, I can learn for you! Please, stay."

The look on his face said everything she already knew from the moment the words spilled from her lips. "I don't think that would be best for either of us right now," he responded softly, gently removing the cup of coffee from her hands before placing it back on the table. "I would like to remain friends for now when you're ready. But I don't think either of us is ready, not if this relationship were to be successful."

Her heart sank but she nodded all the same, backing away from the table. "I really do love you," she mumbled, feeling the fresh sting of tears coming up against the corner of her eyes. "I just wanted you to know that."

"I do too…just not the way you want me to."

"I should go," she mumbled, eyes glued to the floor as she spun around and headed out the door. 

Slowly picking up pace as she headed down the marble halls and out into the courtyard, she was in a full-on sprint by the time she got to the main building. Sliding into a dash as she spotted the coffee stand in its usual spot, she didn't wait to see if Zeno noticed her approach before barreling into him. He stiffened briefly upon contact but relaxed as her arms wrapped around him and her face buried into the side of his neck, calmly looping a free arm around her waist and pulling her in close. Yona heard him continue taking orders, offhandedly reaching up to pat her on the head a few times between requests but she refused to budge, waiting until the entire line was gone to release him. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, sniffling weakly as she struggled to continue holding back tears. 

"I'm sorry, I just really needed a hug—"

Zeno carefully pushed her hands aside before pulling her back towards him, embracing her fully. "I know. It's fine."

Arms finally wrapping tightly around his waist, Yona dug a new comforting spot in his shoulder with her face. 

It would be quite a while before she moved again.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the comments, even if I haven't responded to them in a while! August was a busy month work-wise and it took a while to work up the emotional energy to work on a long fic like this one. 
> 
> Pros to using your own experiences in writing: easy to come up with details  
> Cons to using your own experiences: I'm an emotional shut-in who for some reason thought this was a good idea whoops now I'm stuck with it
> 
> If you're interested in listening to me moan and groan about how much I procrastinate I have a twitter: https://twitter.com/toastyblanket7


	6. Partners in Exertion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer #1: There is minor smut at the end. And I mean minor. 
> 
> Disclaimer #2: I have no idea what I'm writing at this point but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
> 
> Disclaimer #3: In order to preserve my sanity with working from home and being on a computer all day, every day, I have given up on beta reading and I hope you enjoy this absolute one-way trainwreck I wrote.

"So what's new with you?"

Hak glanced over, barely taking in Yona's huffing face before turning his attention back to his own workout. He shrugged, keeping his jog even and steady, barely feeling the exertion as he responded. "If you're asking because you want to know about my relationship you can just ask you know," Hak replied coolly, eyes tracking the speed on his treadmill. Yona huffed loudly beside him. "Careful there, you're going to waste the last bit of air you've got left."

"Shut up," she puffed, cheeks bright pink with exertion. Her short hair stuck to her forehead, which she fruitlessly attempted to brush away for what was the fifth time since they'd started their run. It had been almost three months since her breakup but Yona had taken that as a sign to dive straight into her exercise regimen. She was almost keeping pace with him now, Hak thought briefly before increasing the speed on his treadmill with a smirk. Almost. Yona gasped for air beside him, glaring past the locks of red that slipped in front of her eyes. "I was trying to be polite."

"I'll remember that for the last few brain cells you'll have left after this," he teased, relishing in the furious look in her eyes as she haphazardly smacked his arm. "Are you sure you want to talk about joyous romances when you're still living a pining bachelorette life?"

"Not pining," she corrected, eyes refocusing on the air in front of her. "Trying to be a friend."

"How touching," Hak remarked dryly.

"I know you two broke up."

That was a surprise. "Jae-Ha told you?"

She grunted, arms more animated as she pushed herself to keep up his place. Hak rolled his eyes but lowered his speed, waiting for her own treadmill to decrease momentum as well. "You really need to stop pushing yourself like that."

"I can do it," she wheezed, legs straining as the machine painfully slowed to a stop. "I know I can, I just need to keep practicing."

"You need about another month or two of training is what you need," Hak disagreed, shaking his head as he continued his run. Yona stood tiredly on her machine, panting heavily while her head hung low. She blindly grasped around for her water bottle before Hak reached over and tipped it within reach. "Just because you became a gym rat doesn't mean you automatically became an athlete overnight."

"And you aren't my trainer right now," she argued, water dripping down her chin as she took another swig of water. "You know, Gi-Gan would say it's bad practice to meet clients outside of work hours."

"I can work out whenever I want," Hak replied. His feet continued to collide with the belt seamlessly, heart pounding in his chest as he continued running. "Though I am sorry I had to reschedule your last few appointments, especially now that I know Jae-Ha just gossips with you the whole time."

"Not the whole time—don't give me that face! I know it was a mutual break up." Yona's smug smile was only discredited by the river of sweat dripping down her chin. "I thought you said this was an open relationship."

"Not what I said," he grunted. "It's fine. He started dating that guy from the bakery. Felt like the right time to take a break."

"Yeah...because you don't need any type of stress relief from the looks of it."

Hak tossed his sweat towel at her face, chuckling as he heard her squawk beside him. Adjusting the settings to cool down on his machine, he then reached over to fiddle with Yona's machine too. She slapped his hand away, tossing the towel back at him. "Stop it, I can take care of myself."

"I'll believe that when you actually do a cool-down routine without being reminded. Your roommate is going to kill me if I don't try to keep you in one piece."

Yona frowned, feet now moving at a gentle pace in tandem with the machine. "Oh, that's right. Yoon did mention working a few nights at the clinic in the community center. I didn't realize you'd see him there."

"He's incredibly helpful. Unlike you."

"I would be more helpful if my workout regimen wasn't so intense. Jae-Ha seemed like a nicer trainer but he's worse than you are."

"You'd be more helpful if you just stretched before and after each visit."

"I stretch," she grumbled, water bottle now deposited back into its holder. "I'm glad Yoon's doing ok. I don't really see him too often, what with our busy schedules. What's he helping with?"

"Oh, the usual. The occasional sprained ankle, a wound that needs cleaning, mostly immunizations now that we're getting into winter. Mundok—er, my adopted father—tries to bring in free resources for people who can't afford them."

"Lili brings him up often. He seems like a great person."

"He is," Hak replied, settling into silence. The lull of the endless tread beneath their feet hummed. Yona cleared her throat. Well, almost silence. 

"So...is the community center what's stressing you?"

Hak peered over, unable to bite back the tease. She made it painfully easy. "Are you asking because you care or because you want to help me get laid?"

Yona immediately flushed red, this time throwing her own sweat towel at his face. She missed by a wide margin, the rough cotton fabric landing on his far left forearm instead. "S-S-Shut up! I'm serious! You've been here later every week and it's almost impossible to get a session with you. You're clearly working more but I hardly ever see you. I was trying to be considerate."

Hak chuckled, taking the tossed cotton towel and draping it over her neck with ease. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do?"

"Not unless you can change my landlord," he relented, deciding that honesty was far less of a hassle than dragging out his one-sided game. Yona was fun to tease, but it was hard to keep the game up once she started getting sincere. Working out together had given them too much camaraderie; he was slowly losing the will to tease her for time on end. Yona, on the other hand, was developing a thicker skin for his words. 

Yona perked up at the mention of his living situation. "Jae-Ha mentioned that your landlord likes to play with the rent. Are they increasing it again?"

Hak mentally made a note to never speak to Jae-Ha again. "A bit. They raised it last month."

"Hak!" She gasped, nearly tripping over her own feet in shock. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I can manage," he answered quickly, not liking the upset look in her eyes. "I don't spend a lot so I can afford it if I pick up some hours. I just don't have a lot to set aside for my brother, so I asked Jae-Ha for a few of his sessions."

"Hak I could have given you some money—"

"I'm fine, I don't need your pampered princess money." He fought the urge to smirk at her flustered sputtering, opting to poke her in the forehead instead. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. Believe it or not, I'm not bad at managing my money. It's just a shitty situation."

Yona huffed, shoving his hand away with all the force of a grade-schooler. His finger peeled away from her sweat-slicked forehead anyway, floating back for one final flick. She grunted her displeasure but allowed it all the same. "You have to promise to say something if things get too bad Hak. Promise."

He rolled his eyes. "Only because you still owe me for that time Jae-Ha saw you half-naked in my apartment."

"He already knows it wasn't what he thought!"

"A debt is a debt," Hak teased lightly. His expression softened as he watched her features contort into a mix of emotions. "Anyways I've been meaning to ask but how is it going with Soo-Won? Isn't it awkward working in the same building, let alone bringing him files all the time?"

Her hands wrung the sweat towel around her neck nervously, fingers squeezing, and releasing methodically before releasing the cotton. "It's...okay. I can talk to him now. We get coffee again sometimes. It almost feels like old times." She mumbled the last part wistfully, eyes still locked on the concrete floor. The towel passed roughly across her face, clearing away the remaining drops of sweat before being dropped onto the handrail. "I'm not working that position anymore though. I took some time off this month."

It wasn’t entirely a surprise to hear that; he’d noticed her more sporadic hours. Whereas before Yona had been like clockwork, damn near ripping off her career jacket on her way across the gym, lately he’d arrive to find her on the treadmill, face already pink with exertion. He’d somewhat chalked it up to her efforts to run off her feelings for Soo-Won but then she’d started coming at odd hours, later at night when only the sleepless came to exercise—himself included. Still, curiosity poked at him. "Why?"

"Kouren offered me a position as an assistant at her community service office." Yona sighed, feet now at a dead stop as the machine beeped to signal the end of yet another semi-complete workout. "It's a great position and it's everything I wanted but...I'm not sure if I should leave my job."

"What’s there to like? I thought you hated not having any real power." She’d only mentioned about a hundred times per session.

"My father," she answered honestly, taking a short leap off the back of the treadmill. Posturing on her heel on the base of the jet black handrails, she began stretching out her calves. "I came to the city because I wanted to become the city representative he never was, to create the change from the building he worked in. Now that I'm here and I can see what everyone goes through, the people who line up at Mun-Dok's community center every weekend for a free meal and a shower...I don't know if I'm going about this the right way. Not to mention it would still take me a long time, volunteering and working my way up the ladder until I could pay for a real campaign to get elected."

“That is a lot of work. Do you even want to be a city representative?”

Yona paused. “What do you mean?”

Hak rolled his shoulders. There were still a few minutes left in his cooldown, but he hit the stop button anyways, allowing the machine to roll him back until he could hop off onto the floor. Arms gripping the handrails, he stretched forward, back straightening and popping satisfyingly as he relaxed. “You said you wanted to do this for your father. Even switching careers, all you said was you wanted to help the people. I’ve never heard you say you want to do this for you.”

Yona sighed quietly, taking a seat at the base of the machine for a brief second before Gi-Gan’s shout brought her back to her feet. Hak snickered. “Don’t sit on the machines,” he mumbled, rising back to his full height. “Anyways, you don’t have to answer. I need to get going. Just think about it, won’t you?”

He looked down at her, taking in her exhausted appearance. Despite the sweat still pouring down her face and matted choppy hair, she gave him a crooked smile. Hak snorted. “What are you smiling at?”

“You’re so nice to me now.”

“Only because you’re such a wimp when it comes to teasing,” he retorted but smiled back all the same. “I mean it though. There’s no point in following a career if your heart’s not in it for the right reasons. So think about it, okay?”

“Alright.”

* * *

He could do with taking his own advice.

Elbow deep in the garbage can, there wasn’t much convincing him that taking over for Mundok was a worthwhile endeavor. Even with his suggestion of passing the torch to Tae-Woo (who was a far better candidate for the job), Mundok refused to hear him out, insisting that he take another few weeks to think about the proposition. In the meantime, Hak continued his work; cutting hair, taking out the trash, organizing the weekend meals, and bringing in the deliveries every evening. 

It was exhausting.

Smashing the last stubborn bag into place and slamming the lid back onto the trash can, Hak sighed loudly. It’d been a week since he’d seen Yona and all he could think was how much he wished she could take his job offer instead. She came by every now and then with Kouren’s group, helping on the weekends and making all the regulars smile. “She’d be a way better fit,” he muttered, pushing the swinging backdoor to the kitchen with his heel. Placing his arms into the deep industrial sink, he began scrubbing the stench off of his forearms. Zeno popped over from the back end of the kitchen, halfway out of the fridge. “Who would be a better fit?”

“Didn’t think you were still here. Aren’t you done stocking the food bags for tomorrow?”

“Yes, but there’s always more to do.” Zeno piped in cheerily. “Were you talking about Yona?”

“She likes it here,” Hak stated dryly, wrapping more layers of soap over his forearm before running water over the layers to start lathering up. Next time he would wear gloves. “Just thinking aloud, that’s all.”

“Yona likes more than just volunteering, I think.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Her friends are here,” Zeno explained. “Before, she only saw her friends during breaks or lunch. Now, she sees them every weekend. That makes her happy, I think.”

Hak hummed in agreement, rinsing off the last of the suds. “Good for her I guess.”

“Seeing her makes you happy,” Zeno continued. It wasn’t a question.

Hak ignored him, taking the dish towel to his right and patting down his arms before walking over to his discarded sweater. Pulling it overhead in one swift move, he pulled his car keys out of his pocket. The kitchen clock blinked above the door; it was getting late. Sighing, he waved at Zeno. “Good-night Zeno, see you tomorrow.”

“You should spend more time with her! It would make you both happy!”

The kitchen door slammed behind him. 

The drive home was always shorter than it felt. His apartment was only a few blocks from the community center but he often needed the old rumbling truck to cart supplies from the store to the center. The sun's orange glow blinded him as he turned the corner into his complex but he managed to find an open spot amidst the rays. Fully stationed, he tiredly exited the truck, trudging up the walkway and up the staircase towards his apartment. He was almost in when he noticed the familiar pink paper that greeted him only a few weeks before. Ripping the slip off his door, Hak grimaced, already knowing what awaited his late rent.

The locks had been changed while he was out. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t known; while he’d told Yona that rent was short, he had neglected to tell her that he was  _ late _ on rent. Sighing, he walked back down the stairs. He had the money now and he could get in if he talked to the landlord—at least there was that law protecting him—but right now Hak was in no mood to pay up to someone who was making his life that much more aggravating. Slipping back into the truck, he pulled back onto the street. Jae-Ha was likely out with his new boyfriend and Hak had no interest in going back to the Community Center to get bothered by his adoptive father again.

He could relax at Gi-Gan’s for a while.

* * *

Yona dropped to the floor with a loud groan, face bright red and legs shaking. Jae-Ha looked down at her worriedly. “Are you alright? That might have been too much.”

“I’m fine,” she huffed, willing her legs to stop quivering. Even her hands ached through the padded gloves, warning her of calluses to come. Taking up Jae-Ha’s outstretched hand, she rose to her feet, bent over to allow her pressure to catch up with her. “That was better though, wasn’t it?”

Jae-Ha scoffed, already taking the weights off her bar. “Better than the first time you tried, but still not great. You’re improving though. You could probably lift some more if you keep at it.”

Yona nodded tiredly, patting her knees twice before straightening up. “I didn’t think I could do this, to be honest.” She began, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. Lili smiled encouragingly at her from across the room before turning her gaze back at an oblivious Geun-Tae. Yona fought the urge to laugh. “Sorry, I know we didn’t have a session but Lili isn’t the best spotter.”

Jae-Ha followed her gaze over to Lili, snickering as he spotted her shamelessly watching the older man. “It is her membership, she can do what she likes,” he justified smugly, depositing the last weight back into its place. “I don’t mind. My plans got pushed back, so I’m just wasting time. Do you want to try again?”

Yona shook her head, fingers deftly pulling back the velcro strips to remove her gloves. “No thanks, I should be heading home anyways. It’s my turn to cook and I don’t think Lili is planning on leaving anytime soon.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here? Isn’t it a bit off your usual schedule? I was almost  _ certain _ you were coordinating your schedule with Hak at this point.”

Yona flushed but blamed it on the post-workout adrenaline. “I don’t and if you must know, Lili dragged me here to let off some steam. I went back to work today so I could pick up a few things from my desk and ran into Tae-Jun and Soo-Won. It was...awkward.”

“Tae-Jun?”

“Oh that’s right—you don’t know them. He works with me. He’s a good friend but he...can be a little protective,” Yona lied weakly, rolling the gloves into a tight ball. That was the understatement of the year. Tae-Jun had found out that Soo-Won dumped her in public and was about to make a scene in the middle of the courtyard. Not that he’d been the worst of it. She hadn’t been quick enough to stop her own temper at the one-sided argument. “Anyways, it wasn’t a big deal in the end but it was a little embarrassing. So here I am, working off my frustrations while Lili admires hers.”

“She really is shameless, isn’t she?” Jae-Ha noted wistfully, glancing back at her once more. Lili barely moved, waving blindly as she continued watching the city representative run yet another mile on his treadmill. “You almost have to admire her. Isn’t she ever going to talk to him?”

“No, I think she genuinely just likes to watch.”

“Fair. Are you set to go then? You don’t need anything?”

“No, but thanks for the help!” She lifted up her duffle bag discarded off against the wall. Waving goodbye, she walked towards the back door. The cooling autumn air hit her bare arms, the back alley already dimly lit from the old street lights. 

“It gets dark so early now,” she mused, stepping between cars as she began crossing the back parking lot. 

“It’s fall, what did you expect?”

Yona jumped, shouting in surprise as she slipped into the car beside her. Hak frowned at her from the cargo bed of the truck to her left, taking a long swig of his water bottle while he waited for her wits to return. “You never leave through the back,” he noted finally. “Are you waiting for a ride?”

“N-No,” she stammered, struggling to regain a modicum of sensibility. “I just felt like taking the back exit today.”

“That’s weird.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Aren’t back alleys the stereotypical place for young women to get attacked?”

“I’m not scared!”

“You just screamed.”

“That’s because I didn’t expect you!”

“But you expect to get assaulted,” Hak replied dryly.

“Yes!” She blurted.

Hak struggled to hide his smile. “That’s sad Princess.” 

Yona cursed under her breath. “What are you even doing here? Who hangs out at the back alley in their truck bed?”

“Didn’t feel like going home yet,” he replied flatly, extending a hand. “Want to sit with me? I have food and it looks like you just finished working out. If you don’t have a ride at least eat something before you walk home.”

Yona grimaced. Food would be a welcome treat, especially after attempting several deadlifts over the last hour. Taking his hand, she hoisted herself over and onto the cargo bed. Hak had lined the bottom with thick but plush padding and even had a few blankets rolled against the wall. She frowned, taking one of the offered granola bars as she settled comfortably against the cold metal walls. “Why does it feel like you sleep on this…”

“I don’t,” Hak corrected pointedly, smacking her with his own bag of granola bars. “It’s a good place to relax. I set it up whenever I don’t want to stay inside. Sometimes I go over to the park and watch the stars at night.”

Yona stared at him blankly, slowly unwrapping her granola. “Okay,” she replied slowly. “I just...didn’t take you for someone who watched the stars.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. For starters, I made these,” he answered. While she stared incredulously at the fairly tasty looking snack, Hak pulled a rolled blanket over and shoved it behind her. “Here. It’s not exactly the most comfortable set up.”

“It’s nice,” she mumbled, taking a bite out of her snack. “Thanks. It’s really good.”

Hak nodded quietly, slipping back onto the padded floor. Yona ate silently, sharing the sounds of the city with him. Finally, once she’d devoured the entire granola, she shuffled lower until she laid flat against the cargo bed. Hak frowned at her, eyes betraying his amusement. “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to see what you see,” she chirped, staring up at the sky. “Though I guess it’s still a little too light out for the stars, isn’t it?”

“It’s not late enough, no.”

“That’s a shame.” Yona sighed, hands folding over her stomach. “Hey Hak?”

“What?”

“Are you alright?” Yona rolled onto her side, propped up on a sore arm. “I’m always complaining about my work and love life, and I just. Last week was the first time I’ve ever heard you actually complain.”

“That can’t be true.”

“It is! It’s usually filtered through Jae-Ha but you’ve never complained to me.” She sighed again. “I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you ever need anything. I mean, I can’t compare to Jae-Ha’s past level of helpfulness but still…”

She petered off, suddenly very warm despite the autumn chill. Hak burst out laughing beside her as she fell onto her back, hands reaching up to hide her face. She could feel Hak’s laughter shaking the car, only serving to embarrass her further. “Did you seriously just say that? Did I really just hear that come out of  _ your _ mouth?”

“S-Shut up!” she stammered, palms pressing more deeply into her eyes. “That wasn’t my point at all!”

“Are you sure?” He teased, now propped up on his own elbow, looming over her with false intimidation. “It sounded a bit like you think I’m a slut.”

“ _ I do not say you are a slut _ —” Yona grunted furiously, ripping a hand from her face to smack her wrist straight at his nose. Hak brushed her arm aside with ease. “Why are you such an ass?”

“You make it painfully easy,” Hak mused, still chuckling beneath his words. “So what are you saying then, if you’re not calling me a slut?”

“I just wanted to say I’m here for you, okay?” She all but shouted, furious with his arrant behavior. “You’re a good friend, I want to help. So just stop being a jerk and tell me if anything is bothering you.”

“Why do you think something’s bothering me?”

“What are you, stupid?” Yona motioned widely at the car, jabbing her finger into his chest. “Who sits in their car in a back alley? You’re telling me nothing is wrong?”

“Nope.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“You’re too involved.” 

“You’re too closed off.”

“You’re not open at all!”

“If this is that miserable for you then you can just go,” Hak snapped, a slight edge in his voice signaling the snap of his patience. “I won’t stop you. You can go hang out with Soo-Won or your friends, I don’t need you hanging around. I was having a great time without you.”

“You were sitting alone in an empty parking lot, that’s just depressing.”

Hak let out a low frustrated groan. “Why are you being so difficult?”

“I want to help! You seem upset!”

“That’s because you’re upsetting me!”

“I’m just trying to help! You call Jae-Ha and talk to Shin-Ah! You even talk to Yoon! Even Zeno has heard your problems. Why can’t I help you?” Yona leaned forward, pushing him back. Hak fell back against the cargo bed, blinking in surprise. “What do you need Hak? You look exhausted, you clearly have issues with your rent, and I just want to help. What can I do to help?”

She was positioned over him this time, eyes ablaze with indignation and concern. Hak relented, leaning back onto his forearms. “Why are you so stubborn?” he grumbled.

Yona smiled warmly. “You’re a good friend. Probably my best friend at this point. I just...thought you should know.” 

She remained positioned over him, brow furrowed with disapproval. Hak stared up at her curiously. Without taking a moment to think further on it, she leaned forward and kissed him. Hak stiffened beneath her lips but he didn’t pull back, she noted. Pulling away briefly, she glared at him. “Will you tell me what’s wrong now?”

Hak’s cheeks were flushed pink, eyes serious as they bore into her own. “What are you doing?”

“Shutting you up. Or helping. Your choice.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he muttered, swallowing thickly. “You made your point about Jae-Ha clear earlier. I’m fine.”

“Then if you don’t mind, shut up.”

“If I don’t mind what—” Hak fell silent as she brought her lips back onto his. Smoothly throwing one leg over his waist, she sat on his legs. Her hands reached up and cupped his jawline, fingers brushing against the tips of his hair. Tilting her head just slightly, Yona deepened the kiss, nose nearly flush against his as she leaned into him. They exchanged air, silent against the bustling sounds of the city nightlife, echoing through the alley. Slowly, Yona pulled away, her face hot with something she couldn’t quite place. Clearing her throat, she rose off him and stood to her full height. 

“I’m going to get you to open up to me,” she declared, actively ignoring the quivering in her voice that Hak certainly heard too. Gathering up her duffel once again, she forced a smug smile and leaped over the side of the truck bed. “Even if I have to be your new Jae-Ha to do it.”

She patted the side of the car, ready to start her somewhat lengthy walk home when Hak sat up. 

“Let me drive you home.”

Yona blinked. “Sorry?”

“You wanted to help right? I just want to keep my mind off things right now. So let me drive you home.”

* * *

The ride home was awkward, to say the least. Yona was loath to admit that kissing someone other than Soo-Won when she was hardly over him, to begin with, was her least intelligent decision this week. Yet, here she was, thinking about the way Hak’s mouth smelled of the coconut that had been sprinkled in his homemade granola. Duffle bag pressed firmly to her chest, she confirmed the correct turn into the driveway with a soft grunt, refusing to meet his eyes or trust in her voice. If her words had wavered earlier, there was no telling what awful squeak would escape now that she’d had the luxury of stewing in her actions. 

The dying rumble of the engine brought her back to her senses, the bag clutched tighter to her chest as Yona realized she would have to speak again. Hak didn’t seem eager in looking her way either, based on how his gaze fixated on the parked vehicle ahead of him. “Is...is that your car?”

“Yoon and I share it,” Yona fumbled out, grateful for a change in conversation. “I just prefer walking everywhere. Yoon needs it more than I do.”

Yoon’s car meant he was still home, most likely asleep before another late-night shift. The dark house only confirmed her suspicions. Rather than bidding farewell, however, she bit her lip nervously and against her better judgment, spoke again. “Was...was it that bad?”

Hak looked at her incredulously. “Excuse me?”

“The kiss,” she blurted, unable to stop now. Indignation was boiling over, regardless of how mortified she increasingly felt. “Soo-Won and I barely ever kissed, and it’s not like I’m conceited but I’d like to believe that was at least adequate.”

“What are you even upset about?” Hak asked, bewildered. 

“I don’t know! You haven’t said anything!”

“It was fine!”

Yona felt herself cringe, grimace forming across her face. “Just  _ fine _ ? Yeesh, Hak, I’ll remember for the next time I decide to help. Better listener than a fling, don’t ever try that again.”

“I’m sorry if I’m not convinced that this is entirely selfless,” he retorted, hands resting on the wheel. Hak exhaled angrily, now turning to face her entirely. “You’re not willing to admit it yet, but this has to do just as much with Soo-Won as it does with me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re still hoping to get back together with him!”

“I am not!” She shouted hotly, tossing her bag to the floor. “He dumped  _ me _ if you remember correctly!”

“Are you sure? All you do is talk about how nice it is to see him, how you went to get coffee with him, Soo-Won this, and Soo-Won that. I think you’re just trying this to see if you can forget about him.”

Yona felt her neck grow hot. “So what if I’m trying to forget him,” she forced out, throat tight with emotion. Hak’s expression dropped slightly, as if remorseful over his words. “He broke my heart. I see him almost every day, it’s like I never had a place, to begin with. I can’t even hate him for it, he was so honest. Why can’t I just forget him? You fooled around with Jae-Ha to forget your problems, right? Why can’t I?”

Hak sighed, opening his door and marching over to her side. Pulling open her door, he yanked her bag off the floor and onto the damp lawn. His arms crossed over his chest as he spoke with finality. “You don’t want that, stop trying to make decisions you’re going to regret. I get what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t the way to go about it.”

Nails digging into her palms, Yona clicked off her seatbelt and leaned forward. Gripping the sides of his face, she pulled him down towards her. His eyes widened in surprise, noses touching for the second time that night. “Don’t tell me what I want,” she growled furiously. “I know exactly what I want and need to get over this breakup. I want to know what you’re going to do about it.”

They locked eyes, both hot with fury. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hak pushed her back and kissed her fully on the mouth. Yona thought she heard herself squeak as she fell back into the small interior but soon grew too distracted with his mouth, traveling away from her mouth and down her neck. Scrambling as she attempted to turn so her legs swung out the side of the car, she hooked her arms around his shoulders, fighting the urge to moan as he found a particularly tender spot just beneath her jaw. She wiggled her hips to accommodate for him as he clambered into the truck with her, losing her tank top somewhere along the process. Squished as they were, she was in no mood to stop. 

Whether there were no words due to their petty argument or because they were too busy stripping each other, Yona wasn’t sure. Even if she  _ had  _ something to say, she’d lost all logical thoughts the moment Hak’s hands settled on her hips. 

Somewhere in the process, she lost track of time. It was unclear to her whether they’d been making out for a few seconds or minutes. But as they fumbled to get the other into further states of undress, one thing was clear to her; she was determined to go through with this. As Hak grumbled lowly into her ear about how infuriating leggings were and she pressed her mouth to his again before whispering how much she needed him to hurry the hell up, something warm blossomed in her chest and across her body. The knowledge that Yoon could wake up at any moment and look out the window to imagine the worst filled her with horror but it was quickly overshadowed by her urge to pull Hak closer, fingers digging into his still clothed back as he pushed into her. She whined softly into his shoulder, her hips dipping in the seat between their combined efforts, and somewhere beyond the haze of whatever this was, she could hear something that sounded an awful lot like the car creaking beneath them. Finally, when it felt like she could no longer hear anything outside of the blood pumping in her ears, the knot building in her lower belly tightened unbearably, causing her gasp. 

At some point, they separated.

At some point, she somewhat threw her clothes back on, hyper-aware of how cold it was and the likelihood that a neighbor saw them.

At some point, she murmured something to Hak before kissing his cheek and bidding him farewell.

She wasn’t so sure what time it was anymore, by the time she’d reached the top of the stairs and entered the quiet house. The kitchen clock didn’t solve her post-coital daze, only blinking slowly as the minutes passed while she bumbled about the kitchen throwing together a quick meal that she set aside on the counter, a note placed on top for Yoon to find. Finally making it to the bathroom, she sat on edge of the toilet, blinking slowly before burying her face into her hands.

What was she thinking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juggling remote working/working from home, and moving in the middle of a pandemic left me with less time than I thought it would. Who would have thought?
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoyed these absolute messes making a complete disaster of their relationship. I appreciate the Kudos and Reviews!! Thank you for your support!


	7. Unrequited Rebound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hak tries very hard to forget he likes Yona and fails miserably.
> 
> Also we don't beta read so if you see a mistake, no you did not.

  1. Hak gets another pink slip and can't afford to meet the new rent increase. Goes to stay with Jae-Ha when they change the locks on his apartment but leaves when he finds out Kija came over. Calls Shin-Ah instead and Yona finds out, letting him know about the city wide tenant strike she's organizing with Tao and invites him to go. They argue about whether or not protests are effective. Eventually Hak has a chat with their common friends (poor Shin-Ah deals with this), gets over himself, goes to check out the strike. It that _'oh'_ moment.
  2. Hak not sure what to do, keeps trying to be a personal trainer but gets distracted. Eventually goes and talks to his family and has a revelation about what he wants to do with his life (help run the community center bc he actually enjoys it dummy). Instead of telling Yona he kinda just up and leaves work. She's pissed and confronts him at his apartment.



“Hak. Hak. Hak, are you listening?”

Blinking out of his daze, Hak sat up from the couch. Jae-Ha stood out on the balcony, swaying ever so slightly to the sound of the music from the club across the street. The city sounds trailed in through the open door, people laughing as they escaped the dance floor, disturbing the late hour with their delighted chatter. The finished glass bottle placed on the small garden table glistened with the flashing lights that escaped whenever the club door opened once more. Jae-Ha’s head rested on his shoulder for a moment before taking a deep breath, as if it took all his concentration to form the next sentence.

“You haven’t said a word since I found you here. What happened?”

Hak tried not to focus on how much Jae-Ha’s words slurred together, instead opting to fall back onto the couch and will himself to sleep. It was obvious that this was not the first drink Jae-Ha’d downed this evening and if sober Jae-Ha was a pain, then drunk Jae-Ha was ten times worse. Unfortunately, inebriated Jae-Ha seemed determined to talk all night.

“You got locked out of your place, didn’t you?” Jae-Ha’s finger danced circles around the rim of his drink, carefully eyeing Hak, as if convinced he would run away at the first opportunity. “You could have just called the landlord, you know they have to let you in.”

“Not really in the mood to beg for my own place back,” Hak muttered, rolling into the soft fabric cushion. He tried to avoid thinking too deeply on the last time it had been cleaned. “I have keys to your place, that’s enough for now.”

Jae-Ha grumbled out something that sounded suspiciously like a swear but his tongue was too wrapped up in the process of functioning as usual to form real words. The groan of metal scraping against concrete interrupted the peals of laughter from below, the sliding door shuddering quietly as he stepped back inside. Hak listened as bare feet padded closer and closer to the couch, sighing exasperatedly once the footsteps faltered beside the couch. “What is it?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“Sure. Friends.”

“You’re being an idiot.”

“Takes one to know one,” Hak replied irritably, curling deeper into the couch. “Let me sleep, I have work tomorrow.”

“Let me take your shift.”

“Did you forget that I need more money to keep living in my own apartment or are you being willfully ignorant?”

Jae-ha huffed. “You seem to be ignoring the fact that you have people who could help you if you just _asked_.” He shoved Hak lightly in the shoulder, a feeble push that Hak chalked up to the alcohol in his drink. “Take tomorrow off and go visit that office Yona always talks about. Get someone to help you out. You can’t be the only one in the complex who deals with this awful increase. Think of it as an act of public service.”

“I’ll be fine—” Jae-ha promptly kicked him in the calf, the full force of his daily workouts colliding with his legs. Hak rolled around instantly, looping his arm around Jae-Ha’s neck and pulling him down towards the couch. Jae-Ha anchored himself with the same outstretched leg, one hand firmly placed on Hak’s head to avoid being brought down completely. He smiled far too alertly for someone supposedly lacking sobriety, even toying with the hair caught between his fingers.

“You’re being stubborn. I know you like her. She’s a good person and knows her way around local issues. Swallow your pride and just talk to her like a normal person.”

Hak stared at him, bewildered. His heart skipped about three beats too quickly, surely from the exertion of trying to yank Jae-Ha down. “What are you talking about?”

“You like her, don’t you? I know I do. She’s wicked smart and doesn’t take crap from anyone. I think she’s good for you if you ever got your head out of your ass to notice. I’m sure if you _actually_ took her advice and visited her for help, she might notice she likes you too.”

All the strength in his arms withered away, limbs slowly falling down to his side as he fell back onto the couch. Jae-Ha smirked, releasing Hak as he plopped back down onto the coffee table behind him. “I was right, wasn’t I?”

Reaching up to massage his temple, Hak huffed. There was no point in arguing with Jae-Ha, not when he blatantly knew how accurate he’d been. The knowing smile plastered across his face said enough. “What’s your point?” he relented tiredly, sitting up. His head rolled onto the backrest, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. “You damn well it’s not my pride. If I go to her before Mun-Dok, he’ll skin me alive.”

“Then go to Mun-Dok,” Jae-Ha replied calmly with a shrug. “I’m just offering an alternative, seeing as it presents the lovely opportunity to see Yona a little more often.”

Hak’s mouth contorted briefly before he slipped a hand to cover it too late. Eyes narrowing as he leaned forward to inspect the change, Jae-Ha frowned. “Why don’t you want to see her?”

Hak wanted to look anywhere but forward, eyes locking firmly at the rough ceiling above him. “It’s nothing.”

“Hak.”

“It’s fine.”

Jae-Ha’s face was frighteningly stiff for someone who changed expressions so frequently, eyes narrowing even tighter before widening in realization. “Wait, you weren’t at work or Mun-Dok’s, so you must have been...did you…?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh my—you did!” Hands reaching up to run through his loosened hair, his elbows fell to his knees where he promptly leaned to hide his face. “When did you even—where did you—”

Jae-Ha burst out laughing, falling back onto the far too small coffee table. The cheap materials creaked under his full weight but held firm, squeaking quietly with every tremble of his unrestrained laughter. “Hak, did you miss me that much? I’ve only been in a committed relationship for what, a week? Two?”

Hak rolled his eyes at the ceiling, suddenly wishing he’d just sucked up his hatred for the community center. Mun-Dok wouldn’t have questioned his late arrival. Then again Mun-Dok didn’t know his schedule by heart like his ex. His friend who happened to be his ex. His ex-still-friend who was currently curled over in laughter over this ridiculous predicament. “I couldn’t miss you if I tried,” he muttered. “It was...heat of the moment.”

“And when was this?”

He could feel his cheeks heat up. “...a few hours ago.”

“And you still haven’t messaged back?” Jae-Ha chortled, fingers wiping away the tears budding at the corners of his eyes. “Shouldn’t that be the first thing you do?” 

“We’re not dating, it was a one-time thing. She’s still into Soo-Won.”

Jae-Ha sobered for the second time that night, rolling over onto his side and shaking Hak’s leg. “Hey, look at me.”

Reluctantly (and against his better judgement), Hak sat up to look at his friend, instantly regretting his action when he locked eyes with Jae-Ha’s concerned gaze. “No,” he replied curtly, pulling away and rolling back into the couch. This time he pulled the blanket at his feet over head, cocooning himself as he dug between the cushions. “I’m done talking about this. It was a one-time thing, we both knew it. I’m fine. I’ll talk to her tomorrow but I’m going to bed. I have work in the morning.”

No amount of Jae-Ha’s shaking and one-sided arguing woke him that night.

\---

It turned out that the office Yona had been talking about was not a difficult place to find. To his surprise, it seemed nearly as popular as the community center, with people seated in the main lobby chattering away as if they weren’t seeking assistance for pressing issues. Perhaps it had to do with Yona’s smile, he mused, watching silently as she flitted about from one person to the next, pouring cups of fresh water for the thirsty and offering small snacks to families with young children. He’d already met with Kouren (Yona was quick to rush him to the back once he uttered the words “my landlord”) and was currently awaiting her results patiently in the lobby, hands fiddling aimlessly in his pockets for about three seconds before nudging Lili in her chair and asking to be put to work. So he worked, occasionally taking direction from Tao or Lili depending on the task and stealing glances over at Yona in between. He hadn’t seen much of her outside of the gym lately (the evening prior aside), yet she still maintained her warming attitude. Some of these people were regulars, he noted, both here and the center. A few had stopped to greet him, eager to demand whether or not he was quitting the center to work here. He’d just finished reassuring an elderly couple he was fine when Kouren stepped out of her office to wave him over. Setting aside the cleaning supplies he’d been given, Hak followed her back into the room. 

“I appreciate you coming over,” she began, already pulling open a filing cabinet. Fingers working deftly through the color coded files, she slipped out a few sheets of paper. “This wasn’t the first time we’ve had a request for rental assistance—financial or legal, for that matter. Your complaint marks our tenth this week. It appears that the housing laws in this city do not favor the tenants, do you agree?”

Hak shrugged, trying not to think about how he could still see Yona’s figure through the frosted glass. “I’m not too surprised. Our last representative went with whatever the majority voted and our current ones don’t agree on anything. We get a lot of people in between homes at Mun-Dok’s. Good people,” he added hastily, finally taking a seat by the desk. 

“I’m aware,” Kouren replied, extending a clipboard ladened with the freshly collected parchment. “And as such, I would like to propose a collaboration of sorts.”

Hak stared down at the clipboard. A series of blank columns stared back, ready for willing participants. “This is a petition.”

“I can argue that your landlord should have given you proper notice of closure, that you should have more than a week’s time to arrange for higher rent, but that is only a temporary measure.” Kouren slid the clipboard closer. “If we could convince the locals to sign this petition, I would have more power and more leverage to create change at a higher level. Or at the very least, I could take this to court and argue a broader case.”

“If I convince them you mean,” Hak clarified curtly, eyes glued to the clipboard. “You want me to take this to Mun-Dok and ask around the community center.”

Kouren’s eyes gleamed with amusement, hand now toying with a fountain pen she rolled back and forth across the old desk. “You’re a smart one,” she praised cooly. “That’s correct; Tao and Lili mentioned you were popular with the locals and today proved that true. Mun-Dok wouldn’t have a problem with it, so why should you? Isn’t the goal of your community center to aid and provide for the helpless?”

“It’s not my center,” He corrected. “And the people of this city have suffered enough. They don’t need to be toyed with for your political gain.”

“This wasn’t my idea,” Kouren dismissed with a wave of her pen, tapping the top of the clipboard. “This was Yona’s pitch.”

He froze, eyes following the line Kouren had pointed towards; indeed at the top of the paperwork held Yona’s signature. Glancing back at the frosted windowed door, he hesitated. “Her idea,” he repeated blankly. 

“Yes. When she took my job offer last week I tasked her with coming up with a plan to help the city. Something she wanted to foster, to grow herself. This is what she chose.” Kouren fell back against her desk chair, melting into the leather cushioning. “I haven’t approved it yet; she only submitted the proposal yesterday. She would need an organization to host her, so that she could collect signatures and a strong advocate that would draw in more support from the locals. She is new after all, it would be a difficult task alone. Her original plan was to collect signatures at City Hall, but that doesn’t touch the demographic she needs. I wonder why she didn’t just ask you?”

Hak gripped the clipboard tightly, fingers wrinkling the edges slightly as he considered his response. Snatching the fountain pen from Kouren’s hand, he scrawled his signature at the top before tossing the pen back. Kouren smiled knowingly, calmly setting the pen back to its original place before rising from the chair. Marching around the table with the clipboard in hand, she waved for him to follow once more. “Thank you for your support.” 

The door swung open, Kouren holding it out for him to pass before following him out to the lobby. Upon reaching the room, she pulled a purse off the staff coat rack and whistled. All the girls looked up instantly, Yona barely lifting her arms in time to catch her flying bag. “You’re up Yona,” Kouren barked, waving the clipboard at shoulder height before shoving it onto Hak’s chest. “I approved your proposal, you’re out on petition duty for the rest of the afternoon. He’ll be heading out with you to Mun-Dok’s. I want you to get as many signatures as you can; the sooner we can get this through, the better. We don’t want people out on the street for winter.”

Yona instantly straightened up, a smile wide across her face. “Understood! I’ll be ready in a moment, just let me finish cleaning up!”

Hak sighed, pulling on his own duffel bag when he felt Kouren’s hand land firmly on his shoulder. Peeking back, he frowned. “What?”

“Try not to disappoint her, won’t you? She’s one of a kind.”

He tried not to laugh. Didn’t he know it.

—

While the community center was quieter on the weekdays, it did not mean the location was much emptier. People drifted in at differing hours, the jobless lingering about during the early mornings while the hungry filtered in towards the afternoon. Hak knew all of them; years of helping Mun-Dok run the center had made him a near central figure to the community hub. Yet while his mouth moved to greet familiar faces, his mind and eyes continued to wander off towards Yona. She smiled brightly at another regular, hand reaching up to brush away stray locks of hair as she explained her purpose there. Absently handing off the petition to yet another person, Hak watched as she bid farewell for the hundredth time that afternoon. Catching his eye, she hesitated.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” he managed to state despite the dry feeling in his mouth. “I’m just surprised. You’re very good with people.”

“If you say so,” she replied with a shrug. “I’m continuously surprised that everyone around here loves you so much. You’re well liked, for someone so crabby and abrasive.”

To that, he smirked. “I could say the same about you,” he murmured, clipboard waving aimlessly in his hands. They stood silently at the entrance, watching as people continued walking by. Glancing at his watch, Hak began walking towards the center. Yona frowned, already hot on his heels.

“Where are you going? We still have a lot of signatures to get.”

“I’m going inside. It’s barely fall but it's still hot, it’d be better to take a break now and wait until the sun goes down a bit.” Hak held the glass door open, beckoning for her to step through. “Unless you’d like to stay out here and roast in the sun.”

Yona scowled, all but stomping through the door. “A little tan never hurt anyone,” she muttered tiredly, the hoarseness in her voice giving away just how much she’d been talking that day. Hak laughed quietly, leading her through the main lobby and off to a hallway on the right. Yona followed diligently (and silently), only the sound of flipping papers a sure sign that she was still behind him. Upon reaching the back entrance to the kitchen, she almost walked into the doorway out of habit, had it not been for Hak quickly turning to steer her out of danger. Surprised, she glanced up from her clipboard. “Is that not where we’re going?”

“Not unless you want to help with the lunch handouts. No, we’re going to the staff breakroom.”

“There’s a breakroom?”

“People work here, so yes. There’s a breakroom.” He sighed, his hand easily engulfing her petite wrist. He tried particularly hard to avoid thinking about how warm she felt to the touch and instead led her down the hall once more. “Just follow me and try not to get lost. You’ve only been to three of the rooms in here. There’s more to the building.”

“I had no idea but I suppose that makes sense. You did mention people can bathe here?”

“Yes, there’s an old locker room with showers and a laundromat too. We have a small library, but no one really uses it that often. Then there’s the small clinic but that’s just an old storage room we repurposed. We could use the remaining rooms as classrooms, like my old man wanted years ago but the city cut most of the non-profit funding and it’s been out of use since then.”

“Why not ask for volunteers?”

“Would you volunteer a weekly evening class with no pay on top of everything else? I have a steady job in two places and still don’t have the time or money.” Hak sighed, spotting their destination at the end of the hall. “Sorry, that’s…not fair of me. Things haven’t been going well around here for a while.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask; not that I’m not grateful for your help today, but why are you helping me? You’ve always said you hate anything to do with politics.”

Hak hesitated, hand poised over the door handle. How easy it would be to turn and say he just wanted to see her smile. Yet, the memory of her sobbing over Soo-Won came to mind and he buried the words deep in his chest, choosing to shrug instead. “Kouren seems…different,” he answered slowly, settling on a truth instead of a lie as he pushed open the door. “It would be nice to see the people of my city heard instead of ignored.”

A loud shout erupted as the door collided with the body behind it, a lanky teen stepping out into view. Hak rolled his eyes, pushing the younger one aside with ease as he stepped past the teenager and into the breakroom. Another teen rolled his eyes from the fold out table pressed neatly against the wall. “Han-Dae, if you don’t want to get hurt, stop listening by the door.”

“I wasn’t listening—”

“This time.”

“Last time was an accident!”

“And it should stay that way,” Hak replied curtly, staring him down so sternly that Han-Dae immediately turned away to face Yona instead. Glancing at Tae-Woo, he motioned for some semblance of support. Tae-Woo turned to face the wall instead.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” Han-Dae cheered far too loudly for someone indoors. Even Tae-Woo winced. “Mun-Dok and Hak never shut up about you over dinner on the weekends—”

“Isn’t your break over?” Hak called out loudly. Han-Dae ignored him.

Yona laughed softly. “I take it you are Tae-Woo and Han-Dae? Mun-Dok told us that you’re both diligent helpers around here during the summer. That’s very admirable of someone your age.”

Hak could already imagine the bright idiotic smile plastered across Han-Dae’s face, given the smug smile already plastered across Tae-Woo’s. Hands busied with digging out bottled water and whatever snack was available from their last batch of donations, Hak tried to focus on his task of finding something to eat rather than how nice it sounded whenever Yona laughed. Or how puffed Tae-Woo’s chest must have been with the gracious compliment he’d been gifted.

“Oh, it’s nothing! Mun-Dok is like the grandpa you’ve never had—”

Hak snorted.

“—Er. Like the cranky grandpa you’ve never had.” Hak could practically hear him sheepishly scratching away at his neck, a nervous habit he was never able to hide. “We need volunteer hours for school and he comes by a lot during the year. I actually really like helping out here though so I asked if I could stay after summer break. It feels nice knowing I can be of help to people and I’ve seen many people I used to know. It’s…sad but nice? Like I know they have a place to go.”

“That’s kind of you,” she continued warmly.

“I just come because he insists on it,” Tae-Woo clarified, rising to his feet and gently nudging the chair back into place. “It’s alright. A lot of work though.”

Hak could hear Han-Dae shuffling his feet awkwardly, another nervous trait. “Well uh, I should go see if they need our help in the kitchen again. You can never have too many hands, you know?”

Yona closed the door behind him, the feet to her chair scraping against the floor as she took a seat at the fold out table. “They seems nice. I didn’t expect to see someone so young helping out here.”

“Don’t mind Han-Dae, he’s quiet and a bit lazy but he’s good kid,” Hak replied, bringing over a small plate of assorted snacks and the water. Yona smiled strangely, toying through the strange prepacked foods before settling on one that seemed the least displeasing.

“He kind of reminds me of you,” she said softly, slowly peeling the plastic away to reveal a carefully prepared set of cookies. “You’re also seemingly quiet and lazy. But at the heart of it, I guess you’re not too bad.”

He laughed quietly into his water bottle. “You know, Mun-Dok considered giving them the center when they were of age. If they wanted to.”

“What stopped him?”

“They burnt an entire dinner and tried to convince a local restaurant to donate their meals for a night to hide what had happened. It makes for an interesting story now but I don’t think the old man is ever going to forgive them for that,” Hak chuckled, taking another long draught of water before emptying out the bottle.

“They’re just kids, how bad could it have been?”

“Awful. The kitchen reeked for weeks and the restaurant almost charged us for over two hundred meals.”

“Oh, that is pretty bad.” Yona grimaced, chewing slowly on what must have been an old cookie before forcing it down with a large gulp of water. “ _This_ is pretty bad. Why are all the foods here so…so…strange?”

“Donated goods. Have you ever looked through a donation bin? People will give you have used hygiene products and say it’s lightly used. No one gives up the good stuff. We make do with what they don’t want.”

“No one should have to eat this,” she mumbled through another mouthful of cookie.

“What should we eat then Princess of only the most refined of palates?”

Yona ignored the nickname, leaning back against the frame of the chair and into the boxes stacked behind her. “Only the freshest of donations.” She snapped her fingers and sat up, a wide smile across her face. It was hard to not focus on the lilac of her eyes when she stared at him with such intensity. And yet, Hak suffered on silently. “What about leftover baked goods?”

“What?”

“I’ve been here enough to know that you don’t really get bread around here, just whatever the local grocery stores are willing to part with. Why not partner with a bakery? They could donate leftover bread and pastries.”

Hak shrugged, watching as she carefully tried to keep the cookie from crumbling all over the table and herself. The vanilla wafers seemed defiant however, given the amount of dust brushed across her fingertips and lips. He turned his gaze back to the table. “It’s not a bad idea. I’ll run it by the old man.”

“You could ask Jae-Ha—or rather, ask him to ask for you.” Yona blushed under his curious expression, daintily reaching up to clear her mouth of crumbs. “I mean, he’s dating that Kija right? Kija runs the bakery near the Capitol Building, you know the one where—”

Her voice faltered and trailed off ever so slightly before forcing herself to finish the thought. “It’s just south of the Capitol, a small bakery with the green outdoor umbrellas. You’ve seen it before, right?”

Hak shrugged. “No idea. Probably.”

Yona balked. “It’s delicious, how have you not been there? I’m not even from here and I know it’s great.”

“What can I say? I’ve never been there before.”

“Let’s go together.” She exclaimed, tapping her half empty bottle on the table with all the finality of a judge. “It’ll be great. I’ll introduce you to Kija, we can set up an agreement to get donations and we can figure out why they’re dating!”

“You’re curious too, huh?”

She smiled mischievously. “Aren’t you? I mean, it’s Jae-Ha. You know what he’s like, you dated him.”

“We didn’t date,” he muttered for what was likely the hundredth time but it went unnoticed with Yona’s ecstatic planning.

“In fact, why don’t we do that right now? You said we should wait for the sun to go down and the snack is lovely but why not make the most of this time? We could canvas for signatures as we go! Kija would definitely let us ask for signatures while we’re there and it’s covered so we won’t be too hot. They have a great lunch deal too—you’re smiling,” Yona cut short, smile slipping into a suspicious frown. “Why are you smiling?”

“No reason, it just sounds like you’re trying to ask me out on a work date.”

She scowled, leaning back against her chair so forcefully the old metal creaked under the pressure. Rolling the base of her bottle in small circles over table, she looked away in order to hide her slowly growing blush. “I just thought it would be nice to have some fun,” she mumbled in embarrassment, fingers tapping on the bottle in rapid succession. “Buzzkill.”

He felt a slight twinge of regret but the urge to tease was unfortunately stronger. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you just don’t know how to handle the other night.”

The blush completely crawled up her neck, nearly fading into the color of her hairline. She tossed the bottle at his head, the cap nicking him just as it passed overhead and landed with a clatter. Hak smiled, watching as she jumped out of the chair and rounded the small space between the table and counter.

“I take it I’m right then?” He asked as she rounded the final corner, hands placed firmly on her hips in what he assumed was meant to be an intimidating pose. She barely towered over him and clearly had an ulterior motive, but all Hak could focus on was the way her shirt tapered at the waist. “I thought you were all about getting over this break up ‘your way’? Or was that supposed to include me as your rebound?”

“You’re not a rebound,” she spat, though the distorted expression on her face said otherwise. “Just. Humor me, okay? Let’s go get a real lunch. My treat.”

Hak blinked, taking in the petite hand open before him. He laughed weakly, mentally berating himself for his own weakness. “Fine,” he replied at last, taking her hand as he stood from the rickety old chair. “It’s a date.”

“It’s not a date, you’re not a rebound—” Yona fell silent as he pressed his lips against hers, slowly backing into the counter in their too small break room. He could feel her exhale against his cheek, smell the bright spring flowers from her shampoo. Pulling away, Hak took in her dazed but frazzled appearance and smiled to himself on last time, ignoring the small pang in his chest. Gently, he tapped her on the forehead with his free hand.

“I’m your rebound. Let’s go. We have a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm preemptively adding an extra chapter to the story because I was so into the drama a few chapters ago I didn't realize I messed up my chapter outlines WHOOPS
> 
> Sorry for the belated update, I uh. Did not intend for my break to be more than a month. Work and life was intense and my break was spent doing absolutely nothing in order to recuperate. Also, writing self-sabotaging Hak is somehow harder than one would think.


	8. Pep Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yona works out the emotional mess that is her past and current relationship while Jae-Ha and Kija get her drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol what is the passage of time in fics  
> who knows  
> not me apparently

Yona wanted to believe she had more self-control than the average person, given her patience with angry clients and talent at handling moody politicians. She’d spent months swallowing her anger at the Capitol (regardless of how much Lili insisted the rage remained painted on her face). Even in her short time with Kouren, she’d managed to become the broker of peace when clients became unbearably upset. Yes, Yona had undoubtedly learned not only how to control her emotions but improve upon the way she acted on it. This, coupled with her intensive exercise regimen, had surely built some discipline and strengthened her self-control.

The way her clothes remained hastily shoved on spoke otherwise.

Barely hearing as Hak spoke with Kija off behind the counter, she tried very hard to focus on the subtlest way she could adjust her twisted tights without having to get up from her chair. It wasn’t as if they’d actually _done_ anything, she reminded herself hastily, tugging at the thin nylon desperately. She hadn’t been the one to make the first move, Hak was. She had no reason to feel embarrassed, no reason whatsoever—

“You have a hickey.”

Yona’s hands snapped from the edge of her dress and onto her neck, face already hot enough to put the lit ovens to shame. Jae-Ha snickered, slipping into the booth across her. “So, you _did_ have sex before you came here.” Noting how intensely her hand remained clamped to the side of her neck Jae-Ha rolled his eyes, waving dismissively as he placed his coffee cup on the table. “Oh, calm down, I was joking. Your skin is as soft and clean as a newborn, happy?”

Cursing her gullibility, Yona reluctantly removed her hand, feeling the warmth radiate off her skin. “I did not,” she hissed, suddenly very interested in the relative size and shape of the bakery napkins. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“So…you didn’t sleep with him the other night?”

Hell was colder than the surface of her face at this point. Yona shrugged nonchalantly, well aware that her movements were stiff and anything but casual. “We just helped each other out with some stress relief,” she managed after a few painful minutes of silence. “It’s none of your business really.”

Jae-ha snickered, coffee swirling dangerously close to the edge of his cup as he tilted it in small circles. “I can’t argue with that,” he murmured after a moment’s pause, finally bringing the well-sloshed coffee to his mouth. “That aside, it seems like you two are getting along a lot better lately.”

“I could say the same for you,” she replied, exhaling lowly, eyes glued back onto Hak. He watched carefully as Kija ran him through the steps of where the leftover bread was stored and pointing out ideal locations for a quick pick-up. “You don’t get kicked out of the store for shameless flirting anymore.”

“I am but a humble paying customer with my coffee,” he disagreed behind the mug. “If I happen to flirt with a certain individual while I’m here, it’s only an issue with the individual in question, isn’t it?”

“Just because you enjoy bothering him at work doesn’t mean others have to watch,” she answered, though a hint of humor still slipped through. She smiled feebly. “I’m glad—that you seem to get along so well. Kija’s a good person. He was one of the first stranger friends I made.”

“Stranger friends?”

“Oh uh, acquaintance?” Her fingers fiddled with the napkin, eyes still focused firmly on how Kija was teaching Hak to bag individual loaves of bread with lightning speed and precision. “I’m not sure what the word is for someone who welcomes you to a new city.”

“Aren’t those usually called a welcoming committee? I don’t think those even exist anymore.”

“Not really,” she laughed, finally tearing her eyes away when Kija pulled Hak away to investigate something further back. “Though if we had a welcoming committee, he would definitely be on it. Or maybe not. He didn’t seem to like you very much.”

“The surliest and pickiest on the welcoming committee. He would claim to hate every moment and somehow manage to be the busiest one around.”

Yona stared, taking in the way Jae-Ha’s shoulders slumped comfortably, eyes closing as he took another slow drink of coffee. “You’re in love with him,” she blurted abruptly, causing the other to sputter into the mug. The coffee flew out, splattering onto the table and onto his shirt. Undeterred, she awaited his response patiently.

“Where did you get that idea?” he managed between coughing fits.

“Are you agreeing with me? Or denying it?”

“I don’t have an answer!”

“I think you do,” she remarked, suddenly determined to prove her theory correct.

Jae-Ha shook his head exasperatedly, taking the few napkins she’d collected on her side to mop up the mess. “I don’t have the answer you’re looking for,” he grumbled tiredly, nodding gratefully as she offered more napkins from the dispenser. “I only have facts. I’m dating him. That’s it.”

“But you left Hak.”

“It was a mutual break-up.”

She scoffed. “That’s rehearsed, Hak said the same thing. You’re telling me that you chose to mutually break up at the same time you happened to start dating Kija?”

“It sounds like you have some wild theory,” he relented, shoving the mountain of wet napkins off to the side. He sighed, looking at the mostly drained coffee mug in disdain. “Let’s hear it. I’m going to hear it anyways knowing you.”

“I think you two broke up because you fell in love with Kija,” she announced proudly, excited by her own theory. “You visited him every day, even when you were still with Hak.”

“We were friends with benefits, not dating—whatever. Continue.”

“You realized you were in love with Kija, decided to confess, and broke up with Hak so it wouldn’t be messy.”

Jae-Ha sighed, head now rolled back onto the backrest of the booth seat. “Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a boring theory.”

“Well you didn’t offer anything better.”

“I don’t mind sharing.”

Yona blinked, unsure of what to make of his statement. “So, you’ll tell me what actually happened?” she asked uncertainly, mentally picking the words apart in search of some hidden intention.

“No, that’s my answer.” He sat up, smiling widely to someone behind. Yona turned to spot Kija and Hak emerging from the backroom, Hak waving dismissively as he continued their conversation. “My answer is that I don’t mind sharing.”

She frowned, utterly displeased with the answer. “Then share.”

“I asked.”

“What? No, you didn’t! That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Yona, we should head back.” She jumped, caught unaware by Hak who had somehow already made his way over to her booth. He looked at the table in disapproval. “Did you knock over your drink? How are you this clumsy?”

“I am not clumsy—that was him!” Yona cried out, hastily pointing at Jae-Ha before realizing he’d slipped the coffee mug in front of her. The rest of the coffee spilled out on to the table, soaking into the mountain of napkins and dripping off the edge. Kija sighed from behind the counter, quickly grabbing a rag and bucket with cleaning solution.

“It’s alright Yona, I can clean it.”

“But I didn’t—this wasn’t my—”

“I thought you’d have more manners from someone so spoiled rich,” Hak replied dryly, stepping back so Kija could come closer. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Horrified, Yona could only watch as Hak left the bakery, Kija working quickly to clean the spill. Indignant, she glared at Jae-Ha with the fury of a thousand suns. He shrugged, unaffected. “You did that on purpose!”

“What can I say? I needed a distraction.”

“What on earth for?”

“I meant what I said,” he replied calmly, waving cheerily as Kija departed to store the cleaning supplies. “I don’t mind sharing; Interpret that as you’d like.”

She hesitated briefly. Jae-Ha smiled knowingly. Shaking her head tiredly, Yona grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. That was the last time she’d ever ask for gossip. Speedily making her way through the crowded room with the accuracy of someone who frequented the bakery often, she slipped past the final stretched out patrons and out into the lukewarm sun. Hak awaited her patiently beside the entrance, still under the dark awning.

“It’s not that bright,” she stated, basking in the early afternoon sun. “I do think we could have kept canvassing a bit longer.”

“You can’t convince me that pale skin wouldn’t burn the first chance it got.”

“Well, I didn’t say that.” She shrugged, side stepping past him and taking a seat at one of the small iron tables. Purse set on the table and clipboards ready for more signatures, Yona motioned for Hak to take a seat. “Come on, Kija gave us special permission to stand out here and we’re going to take it. Even if it means being stared at awkwardly through the window.”

She giggled, noting Hak’s distaste as he peered through the window at whom she could only assume was Jae-Ha. Not that she was feeling any different at the moment she mused, handing off a clipboard. Still, the unanswered questions of her brief conversation with Jae-Ha itched like a scratchy shirt tag. “Hey Hak, are you upset about your break-up?”

Hak blinked, eyes tearing away from the window to examine her lazily. “Are you still on that?”

“I don’t know, you just seem invested in avoiding Jae-Ha. I don’t think I’ve seen you both at the gym as often and its kind of felt like you were avoiding him earlier. You don’t strike me as the jealous type, especially given how you acted around Kija. I thought you might be upset with him.”

Hak hummed quietly, eyes turning back to through the window. “No, I’m fine.”

Yona frowned, bitten with the urge to shout about the unfairness of it all. How she’d offered to be his version of stress relief but he didn’t so much as take her listening ear. How he’d gone to Kouren before speaking to her about the gravity of his situation—she was all but _certain_ that he was forced out illegally—but a little voice in her head cut that argument short.

_You aren’t actually dating._

Instead, she sighed forcefully, fingers tapping on the clipboard. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m here if you ever want to talk,” she began carefully, fingertips tracing the outline of the metal clip. “I know what it feels like to break up when you weren’t ready for it. That’s all.”

Hak hummed his agreement louder, gaze still locked in through the bakery window. Disappointed in his lack of enthusiasm, Yona took up the clipboard and rose to her feet. At the very least, this would not be a waste of her time with Hak.

* * *

‘ _I don’t mind sharing_ ’

A whole season change later and nearly three weeks after their first canvassing, Yona had still to understand what Jae-Ha meant. Chalking it up to his roundabout way of avoiding any real human connection, she’d eventually let go of his strange (and rude) antics. The work with Kouren had left her quite busy to be honest, most of her day occupied with finding people to sign her petition and her evenings occupied with filing the paperwork she hadn’t found time to complete during the day. It was during these evenings that she often wandered off with the thick folders of paper and poured through them at the bakery, thanks to Kija who was all too happy to let a friend sit in while he closed for the night—with the promise that she wouldn’t breathe a word of his fearful jitters to Jae-Ha.

“If you’re so afraid of closing by yourself, you should ask him to stop by earlier,” Yona called out across the counter, fingers playing with the fountain pen in her hand. The latest budgetary work was tedious at best but the nice thing about this particular task was that numbers rarely lied, they simply took time. “I’m sure Jae-ha wouldn’t mind hanging out here with you after closing.”

“He works evenings,” Kija shouted over the clattering of the baking pans and running water. Yona winced as another tray landed into the industrial sink with a clang. “And he’s already enough of a pain during lunch and even then, he’s a paying customer. Imagine what he’d be like if I gave him the freedom of doing whatever he liked! Imagine the mess he would make!”

She didn’t have to imagine, Yona thought dryly, recalling the mountain of napkins that had sprouted simply due to his presence the last time they were here together. She pitied the Kija, though the fault in his choice of dating material clearly only fell onto himself. Rolling her eyes, she attempted to focus back onto her paperwork despite the clanging and scraping of pans echoing in the empty bakery.

‘ _I don’t mind sharing_ ’

Her pen tapped against the third column of her spreadsheet as she recounted up the sum once more. Jae-Ha had proven himself quite the teaser in the past, annoyingly skilled at finding exactly the right buttons to push and voicing the slightest hint with no further help. The numbers on her sheet added correctly, but a third pass never hurt, particularly when the funds paid for community care. She had to be out of her mind if she paid any heed to his obvious teasing—regardless of what he meant by it. Jae-Ha was Jae-Ha, the same way her spreadsheet remained unchanged despite what was likely her fifth read of it tonight. Yona blinked tiredly, reaching and rubbing her eyes. Perhaps it was time for a break.

A loud knock on the window elicited a scream from Kija and a flinch from herself, Yona blinking the exhaustion from her eyes furiously. Jae-Ha smiled widely from the other side of the glass, arm wrapped firmly around Hak who looked far less pleased to be seen. Kija sighed exasperatedly, wiping his hands clean with the dishtowel hanging from his apron as he hurried towards the door. “Don’t do that!” He hissed, taking the dishtowel and slapping the air around Jae-Ha as he entered the bakery, Hak only a few steps behind. “You don’t know how often I get strange people at night knocking at the door, demanding to be served just because my lights are on! It’s like they don’t even see the closed sign!”

Jae-Ha laughed merrily, easily taking the towel with one hand and using the momentum to pull Kija in for a quick kiss. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it. You were asking to be surprised. Besides, it was a surprise. I didn’t think I’d run into this one on the way here.” He jabbed a thumb in Hak’s direction, the latter ignoring him as he walked towards the table.

Yona smiled warmly. “Haven’t seen you in a bit,” she offered awkwardly, well aware how much time had gone by since they’d last…spoke. At least, in full sentences. “I heard Gi-Gan gave you more hours?”

Hak opened his mouth to speak, but Kija beat him to it. “What do you mean you heard? I thought you two were together?” He asked incredulously, hands already poised over his hips with all the forceful imposition of a displeased mother hen. “Aren’t you two together?”

Yona could feel the blush itching to rise up under her skin but Jae-Ha graciously stepped in. “Let’s not complicate whatever they have going on, I’m sure these two have more important things to do than hang out after hours at a bakery.”

She smiled gratefully, somewhat unsure (and mistrustful) of whatever would have left her mouth had someone not spoken first. Hak looked equally grateful. Kija however, refused to relent, given by the sour expression on his face. “You two must be starving, working out all day. I’ll rustle up something to eat.”

It was Jae-Ha’s turn to be flummoxed. “What?”

“You heard me. And go finish washing my pans. If you’re going to take my dishtowel at least make yourself useful with it.” Kija was already pulling out slices of bread and stored vegetables. Spotting Jae-Ha planted firmly in the same spot, he threw yet another dish towel his way. “Hurry up! This place needs to be spotless.”

“I don’t think it could be cleaner,” Hak mumbled, taking a seat beside her. Yona tried to ignore how his knee bumped hers under the counter, momentarily taken back to their affair in the car. Instead, she turned her attention back to the over-analyzed spreadsheet. The numbers were starting to blend together. “This place is more and more spotless each time I come here.”

A chilled bottle rolled their way, skidding to a stop between them. Yona glanced at the condensation covered glass before turning back to her paperwork. A hand came down over the sheets, obscuring most of the information from view before pushing the thick packet back onto the table. The bottle slid closer her way, Hak shrugging absently as he paid attention some continued conversation between him and the other two. Releasing the papers in her grasp, she reached out and accepted the offered drink, slowly wiping off the rim of mouth before taking a long swig of the bottle. The aftertaste of kiwi and honeydew sat on her tongue, the apple stinging as it went down. She cleared her throat lightly, bottling clinking as it set back onto the table. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“You shouldn’t work this late,” he muttered back, now nursing his own cider. “I know we haven’t talked as much but if you have this much work you should have said something.”

“And what, you want to help? With budgetary work?” Yona chuckled, sliding one of her many manila folders at his elbow, calling his bluff. “You work in a gym Hak, sorry if you don’t seem like the next best accountant, free or not.”

Flipping open the folder, he scanned the numbers before tapping the fifth column before taking another draught of his own alcohol. “That one doesn’t seem right, you should look over the expenses again.”

She blinked, completely oblivious to whatever argument was happening across the table and barely registering the moment Kija placed a plate of toasted baguette with balsamic and olive oil across her. Hak was right. “Unbelievable,” she muttered, more to herself than at him. “I’ve been at this for an hour, how did I miss that?”

“A second set of eyes never hurts,” he replied plainly, taking a baguette slice and dipping it into the small bowl before popping straight into her mouth. Unfazed, she chewed slowly through the bread as she poured over her numbers once more. Hak was still right. As if reading the expression on her face, he shrugged. “I do work at a gym Yona but it looks like you forgot I worked at Mun-Dok’s first. Someone had to balance the community center budget and it sure wasn’t going to be a pair of teenagers. I might be constantly at risk of losing my apartment but it doesn’t mean I’m not good with numbers.”

Yona frowned, swallowing the last piece of her baguette. “I didn’t say that.”

“But you implied it.”

“He’s not saying you’re rude Yona,” Jae-Ha interjected, leaning over the counter to closely that she fell back, almost slipping from the booth stool. Hak easily reached behind and steadied her, glaring at his lack of personal space. “This is just Hak’s way of saying your lack of experience with the less fortunate shines through in the way you talk to people.”

“You make me sound dead poor,” Hak cut in dryly.

“You mean you aren’t?”

Kija sighed, reaching around his boyfriend to grab a small bite. “I’m beginning to regret allowing you in my kitchen,” he grumbled, nibbling at the bread in the tiniest bites Yona had ever seen, as if he were afraid to leave so much as a crumb. “I don’t think either you or Hak will be welcome back if you keep up this rude attitude.”

“I could never be rude,” Jae-Ha gasped dramatically, hand over heart for full effect. His free hand grasped blindly at Yona’s, patting the manila folder twice before finally landing on the tips of her fingers. She smiled wryly, well accustomed to his dramatics by now. “Yona, defend me. Tell him, I’m anything but rude.”

She opened her mouth to answer, interrupted only by the slight turn of Jae-Ha and Kija’s gaze. Following their eyeline, she spotted a very pointed glare coming from Hak. Confused but undeterred, she disagreed. “I don’t think getting involved in your arguments is good for your relationship,” she answered with a smile. “And thank you Kija, for allowing me to stay a little longer. You didn’t have to feed me again.”

“I like you,” he replied with a wide smile, shoving Jae-Ha away the animosity of an enemy rather than a boyfriend. “They can go eat outside for all I care.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Hak muttered through the amber cider bottle, looking anywhere but her way. He pulled the folder back towards him, shooing the other two away. “Go away, we’re working.”

“Yona is working,” Kija corrected. “You’re just helping. You’re nothing more than an assistant. A temporary assistant. A drinking temporary assistant! Terrible for the job. If anyone should be helping Yona, it should be me! I own a successful business, I know plenty about money!”

“I’m definitely not qualified,” Jae-Ha stated sadly, nursing his side as he meandered around the counter and into the bar stool beside hers. “Therefore, I am free to drink enough for everyone and eat all of the food. Doesn’t that sound lovely Yona? You agree, don’t you?”

“It’s for everyone, don’t be a glutton,” Hak grumbled, yanking the closest manila folder between his arms. Yona ignored him, spreading out her remaining files across the table.

“I would be grateful for a second set of eyes,” she voiced tiredly, downing the remaining dregs of her cider before waving for a second, which Kija happily obliged. “I think I’ve been looking at this for too long. Hak proved that I don’t see my own mistakes anymore, might as well let you two have a go at it.”

She was almost certain she heard Kija squeak in excitement but she wasn’t really paying attention by the time the next bottle hit her hand. She was tired of this work, tired of staring at numbers, tired of realizing time and time again that her vast education had somehow left her wholly unprepared for what should have been a task of simple arithmetic. Disappointed in how little she accomplished in such a long period of time but grateful for the assistance, she gladly drank into the second bottle. It was good to have such helpful friends.

* * *

Helpful, as it turned out, was an adjective that varied in its definition depending on the benefactor.

Nearly four bottles of hard cider later (Kija had spotted the last bottle being snuck her way by Jae-Ha and took it himself with a quiet grunt of disapproval), Yona had lost all desire to look through her work for the night. Neatly (haphazardly) stacking her folders and sliding them (essentially dropping them) into her oversized purse, she straightened up triumphantly. “A job well done for now,” she congratulated the trio, only vaguely bothered by how the world spun for a brief second as she nodded her head. “An excellent day’s worth of work by all four of us.”

“He didn’t do anything,” Kija exclaimed, pointing at a far too lax Jae-Ha. “He just sat and passed you drinks!”

“A wonderful way to pass the time,” Yona insisted, enjoying the warming calm that was spread throughout her body. “You were very helpful Kija, really. I might ask for your advice again sometime.”

Kija flushed pink instantly, head jerking to the side so sharply she was certain he had to have pulled a muscle. “I-It was nothing,” he stammered, eyes darting to look anywhere but at her. “I’m happy to help.”

“Don’t mind him, he’s just shy around praise.” Jae-Ha reached over and patted her lazily on the head, fingers mussing up the locks gently before releasing. “You’re just as bad as him. Never asking for help.”

She was too warm to care, shrugging aimlessly as she shuffled back into Hak, who was already on his feet and seemingly all to eager to leave. “Whatever Jae-Ha. I’ll see you some other time.”

Her waves continued even as she stepped out the front door and the brisk fall air nipped at her cheeks, temporarily interrupting her buzz. Sensing the tug at her shoulder, she released the oversized purse into Hak’s expecting hands and exhaled loudly. “It was just summer,” she lamented, feet slowly stepping behind his as they continued down the street and towards his car. She blinked thoughtfully, then glanced at him. “You didn’t drink, did you?”

“No.”

“Because you’re driving.”

“You’re a genius.”

“No, it’s just…what did you drink?”

“Cider. Plain sparkling cider.”

“Oh. Hey Hak.” Her hand reached forward, tugging on his thick wool jacket. Her fingers latched onto his loosely, He glanced down, seemingly unbothered were it not for the slight curling of his fingers. “I didn’t mean it you know. I don’t think you’re irresponsible.”

He laughed quietly as she leaned into him on their stroll downtown, allowing herself to slip her fingers between his. His palm was so warm against hers, as if he were unbothered by the biting fall chill. “You need to learn how to take a tease. You’d make a soft city politician if you don’t grow thicker skin.”

“Is that your plan?” She hummed, arm swinging back and forth as far her tiny arm span would allow. “Help me grow a thick skin? You’re my gym trainer, not my critic.”

“Someone has to teach you humility, you’ll get too pig headed otherwise.”

Yona huffed, so enthralled in their playful banter that she barely noticed when she released his hand and bumped into another wayward body. “Oh, I’m sorry—”

She blinked. Tae-Jun and Soo-Won stared back.

“Good evening Representatives,” she breathed out, the warmth that had made her so lax and euphoric instantly drained. Her outstretched arm fell to her side. “I didn’t see you there.”

Somewhere just ahead her, she heard Hak come to a stop. Yona could feel the tension growing between her and Soo-Won, threatening to swallow her whole, but this didn’t seem to bother Tae-Jun.

“I’m surprised to see you out so late at night,” he said, interrupting the awkward silence. “I didn’t expect to run into you around here.”

Around the Capitol, Yona thought grimly, stepping back into Hak’s space. All but standing on Hak’s shoes, she shook her head. “I was visiting a friend—he runs the bakery.”

“I wasn’t aware you were friends with the owner, though I knew you enjoyed the food there,” Soo-Won interjected.

“I enjoyed a lot of things there,” she replied without delay, folding her hands neatly into her pockets. She straightened up a little higher, the back of her hair rustling against the thick wool of Hak’s jacket. “Though I suppose you don’t visit anymore. Is the Council really that busy without my help?”

“We miss you,” Tae-Jun jumped in, as if eager to break the tension. “We’ve never had a better staffer—would you be willing to come back? Are you planning to run for an office position? My father has been talking again about stepping down, we could surely use someone like you.”

Yona smiled warmly at him but shook her head. “Thank you, Representative Tae-Jun, but I work with Kouren now and I have a community project I’m currently working on.”

He sighed sadly, shoulders dropping dramatically. “That’s a shame for us. You would be an excellent Council member. Though I heard she will be running for the next election, is that correct? I imagine she will have no trouble gaining an office seat with you at her side. Isn’t that right, Soo-Won?”

Soo-Won stood silent, staring at Hak instead. Following his eyeline, Tae-Jun blinked, as if noticing Hak for the first time. “And uh, who is this might I ask?”

Yona opened her mouth to speak but Hak beat her to the punch, leaning over her and draping an arm around her shoulders so casually she had to imagine he’d been planning to do so all along. “I’m her rebound.”

They stood awkwardly, Yona’s ears burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. She bit her lip, amused, embarrassed and furious all at once, desperately glaring at the ground, demanding it swallow her whole. When the earth denied her request, she willed the blush to fade and turned back to her old co-workers.

“This is Hak,” she said after clearing her throat twice, ignoring how squeaky her words must sound. Her feet were now firmly planted on his toes, low heels digging into his boots. Hak didn’t react. “His father runs the community center. We conduct some work at the center for a few community outreach programs.”

“I…see,” Tae-Jun spoke hesitantly, visibly off-put by how casually Hak continued to drape over her. “I’m glad to hear you are doing well.”

“We should go,” Soo-Won interrupted with a soft smile. “It seems we’re interrupting something. We still need to read over the latest legislation together. It will take all night.”

“I shouldn’t take more of your time,” Yona agreed. She waved hastily, stepping off Hak’s toes and looping her arm around Hak’s, effectively dragging him away from the scene. He snickered loudly but followed along, easily keeping up with her hurried gait as she muttered furious curses at him under her breath. Two pedestrian lights later, she slowed down and rounded on him with her full horrified fury. “I can’t believe you!”

“I didn’t lie,” he spoke defensively, hands up in defeat. “I am your rebound of some sorts.”

“You didn’t need to say it to _them_!”

“Maybe I did—one’s your recent ex and the other was still giving you forlorn love eyes. Or did you really not notice?”

Yona scoffed, punching him in the arm. “It was entirely unnecessary!” She insisted, though she would be hard pressed to say she hadn’t noticed Tae-Jun’s loving gaze. “Besides, they were my old co-workers. They worked above me! If I ever want to be a politician, I have an image to upkeep. They’ll likely still be there if I ever got elected. I can’t have a poor relationship with either of them.”

Hak frowned, following close behind as she began walking off yet again. She wasn’t even sure where Hak had parked his car anymore and she was too annoyed to ask at this point. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

She stopped dead in her tracks, completely caught off guard by his response. “Excuse me?”

“Yona, do you think Kouren compromises her ideals when she campaigns?”

“N-N-No, but—”

“Do you think Tao lies about her beliefs in order to gain more support?”

“Hak, this is my relationship—”

“Do you think Lili gives a damn about her relationship to a Council Representative when she goes and starts a protest in front of the Capital?”

“She hasn’t done that yet—”

“Yona, my point is that none of them have sacrificed who they are. You choosing to date someone after getting dumped is relatable. People prefer honesty. Just be honest. If anyone wants to get angry and upset about you being a loose woman then they were probably never going to agree with you anyway. But you of all people shouldn’t have to hide or be ashamed of your decisions. So, unless you’re ashamed that your decision happens to be me, then call me your damn rebound.”

They stood silently, only the sound of city traffic filling the space between them. Yona sighed, shrinking into her jacket. “I’m not ashamed of you.” She muttered, taking a few steps towards him again. “I’m ashamed that I ran from my job over a break up. I’m ashamed that I’m not over it.”

Hak scoffed. “Plenty of people do way worse. They’ll get over it.”

“I’m not over it,” she whispered, hating how her eyes burned with the urge to cry. Already her vision was blurry, already her throat tight and cheeks hot. “I’m so ashamed…he didn’t even agree with Tae-Jun. Was I just…being used? I was no one, I was a staffer, I ran paperwork and picked up coffee but I thought he liked me. I liked him. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

She felt Hak’s arm wrap around her shoulders for the second time that night, pushing her in the right direction and back in step to his car. “We should get you home, it’s late.”

“I don’t work tomorrow,” she mumbled, furiously wiping the tears that dripped free. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You’re not fine.” 

“I hate that I always end up crying around you.”

“That makes two of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated before a month went by, aren't you proud of me? *sobs*  
> In all seriousness I re-wrote the end of this chapter about 6 times. I love me an unmoveable Yona in person but self-doubting Yona when with friends but I also want room for her to grow in the next few chapters so it was a hard balance to find.


End file.
